London (U.K.) – Rome (Italy): Enilive, a leading provider of mobility services and products, has signed a new agreement with easyJet, Europe’s largest airline, to supply Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for several flights departing from Milan Malpensa Airport.
Under the terms of the agreement, easyJet will use SAF with a 20% blend of sustainable fuel mixed with conventional jet fuel, helping the airline meet its sustainability goals for two new routes to Norway — Milan Malpensa to Oslo and Milan Malpensa to Tromsø — during the winter season. Additionally, easyJet will benefit from SEA’s SAF Support Program 2024, which provides a financial contribution of €800 per tonne of SAF used at Milan’s airports, totaling €500,000 in support for airlines.
The deal also includes a Letter of Intent between Enilive and easyJet for the potential supply of 30,000 tonnes of pure SAF at other Italian airports where easyJet operates.
This partnership is part of easyJet’s broader strategy to promote SAF usage and accelerate the growth of the SAF market. Earlier in December, easyJet, in collaboration with Airbus, launched a new business travel solution aimed at securing corporate partnerships to finance SAF usage, making it more affordable for airlines. Additionally, easyJet became a member of Project SkyPower at the end of October, a CEO-led initiative focused on advancing the eSAF (electro-synthetic aviation fuel) industry and securing investment in e-SAF projects across Europe.
SAF is considered a vital tool in the aviation industry’s efforts to decarbonize, with increasing demand expected as regulatory frameworks like the European Union’s ReFuelEU regulation take effect. The regulation calls for a gradual increase in SAF use, reaching 70% by 2050. Enilive produces SAF from waste feedstocks such as used cooking oil, animal fats, and agribusiness residues at its biorefineries in Italy. The company’s SAF contains 100% biogenic components and is suitable for blending with conventional jet fuel up to 50%. Enilive plans to scale its SAF production capacity to 400,000 tonnes per year by 2025, with further expansion to 1 million tonnes per year by 2026 and the potential for doubling capacity by 2030.
Stefano Ballista, CEO of Enilive, emphasized the growing importance of SAF for the aviation industry: “SAF is the available solution to decarbonize air transport. With the European Union’s ReFuelEU regulation coming into play, demand for SAF will only increase. We are committed to meeting this demand through the development of new biorefining projects in Italy and abroad.”
Raminder Shergill, Director of Tax & Fuel Strategy at easyJet, commented: “SAF is essential to our decarbonization strategy and will play a pivotal role in helping the aviation sector reach net-zero emissions. We are pleased to work with Enilive and SEA to support the growth of the SAF industry and contribute to a more sustainable aviation future.”
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