Air New Zealand announced that it has signed an offtake agreement with Neste to purchase 9m litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with deliveries beginning from April 1 onwards.
Air New Zealand’s Chair Dame Therese Walsh signed the agreement with Neste in Singapore.
“Decarbonising Air New Zealand’s operations is essential for the airline’s long-term ability to connect New Zealanders to the world, as well as support the country’s trade and tourism sectors, and SAF is a key enabler of this”, said Walsh.
The SAF would be produced at Neste’s Singapore refinery – which recently expanded its SAF production.
Neste’s 9m litres of SAF will be blended with conventional jet fuel to meet the required specifications and supplied to Los Angeles International Airport between 1 April and 30 November 2024.
The airline said that the deal represents the largest purchase of SAF from Neste by any airline outside North America and Europe for delivery before the end of 2024.
Alexander Kueper, vice president renewable aviation at Neste said the company is fully committed to supporting the decarbonisation of aviation and is working closely together with partners like Air New Zealand to accelerate SAF usage.
“We are proud to support Air New Zealand’s decarbonisation focus and are looking forward to continuing working together with Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Government to reach their climate goals.”
Earlier this year in March, Air New Zealand launched a global open invitation to innovators and start-ups in the SAF sector to become a supply partner to the airline.
