Boeing will procure sustainable aviation fuel to facilitate flights for production, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator, Dreamlifter, and deliveries. The sustainable aviation fuel blend, produced by Neste, will be supplied by EPIC Fuels, Signature Aviation, and Avfuel.
Boeing, a leading aircraft manufacturer, has inked agreements to procure 5.6 million gallons (21.2 million liters) of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by Neste, the world’s top SAF producer, to support its US commercial operations up to 2023. This move more than doubles Boeing’s SAF procurement from last year.
Boeing’s Vice President of Environmental Sustainability, Sheila Remes, said, “We are demonstrating our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and catalyze the SAF industry.” She further added that the SAF purchase comprises 25% of Boeing’s total jet fuel needs, including the company’s production, delivery, Boeing ecoDemonstrator, and Dreamlifter flights. The company aims to increase the percentage of SAF in the coming years.
The purchase agreement involves the supply of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™, blended with conventional jet fuel at a 30/70 ratio. Neste MY SAF is made from 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials, including cooking oil and animal fat waste, and meets strict sustainability standards.
EPIC Fuels and Signature Aviation will supply 2.3 million gallons, and Avfuel will provide 300,000 gallons of the blended SAF for the Boeing ecoDemonstrator flight test program and the company’s commercial sites in Washington state and South Carolina. Additionally, Boeing will purchase another 3 million gallons of the same blended SAF from EPIC Fuels and Signature Aviation, generating emission reduction credits for commercial deliveries, Dreamlifter, and executive flights. This benefits are generated through a book-and-claim process that substitutes petroleum jet fuel with SAF in fueling systems beyond the company’s fuel supply.
In 2021, Boeing committed to deliver its commercial airplanes certified to fly on 100% SAF by 2030. SAF reduces CO2 emissions by up to 80% throughout the fuel’s life cycle, with the potential to reach 100% in the future, and is widely regarded as having the most significant potential to decarbonize aviation in the next 20 to 30 years. SAF is made from various feedstocks, certified for commercial use, and can be blended up to 50% with traditional jet fuel without modifications to airplanes, engines, or fueling infrastructure.
Some of Boeing’s milestones to facilitate SAF use include the development of jet reference fluids for SAF compatibility testing, allowing 100% SAF in both engines of a 777 Freighter, and making the industry’s first commercial airplane test flight with 100% SAF. Boeing conducted initial SAF test flights in 2008, enabled approval for commercial SAF use in 2011, and airplane delivery flights in 2012.
