In a first for commercial aviation, Air BP, together with Norwegian airport operator Avinor, and sustainable biofuel specialist SkyNRG, today announced the results of a successful collaboration for commercial supply of jet biofuel at Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
From today all airlines landing at Oslo Airport can have jet biofuel delivered from the airport’s main fuel farm, via the existing hydrant mechanism.
Lufthansa Group was the first airline to confirm that it will uplift the Air BP aviation biofuel at Oslo, and will be refueling an Airbus A320 aircraft at the airport today. Further airlines including Scandinavian national carrier SAS, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, have been quick to demonstrate their commitment to a lower carbon future by confirming they will also purchase jet biofuel at Oslo.
Air BP anticipates this will lay the foundations for the increased adoption worldwide of jet biofuel supply. Air BP has worked closely with Avinor to reach today’s milestone, and has agreed provision of a minimum of 1.25 million litres of jet biofuel. Avinor will also support Air BP in its assessment of market demand.
Avinor CEO Dag Falk-Petersen comments: “With the recent Paris agreement signed and the airline industry’s ongoing commitment to protecting the environment, we are delighted to be the first airport in the world to enable refueling of biofuel from our existing fuel farm and hydrant dispenser system. As first movers we hope to inspire other airports and airlines to follow suit so we can all work towards the desired low carbon future.”
The initiative has been driven by the requirement for the aviation industry to work towards a sustainable low carbon future. It acknowledges the International Air Transport Association’s aim to achieve carbon neutral growth by 2020 and a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Air BP’s Biojet initiative further responds to the EU goal to ensure 3.5% of total aviation fuel consumption consists of jet biofuel by 2020. Growing consumer awareness for responsible aviation practice also underpins the move towards jet biofuel supply.
David Gilmour, CEO for Air BP comments: “This is the first time aviation biofuel is being delivered through the normal supply mechanism, thus reducing logistics costs significantly. We want to demonstrate that airports can readily access biofuel with relative ease, utilizing existing physical infrastructure. We anticipate that this will increase interest and demand, as well as contributing to a sustainable biofuel future for the aviation sector.”
“We are very pleased that we were able to reach a further essential milestone for climate-friendly aviation together with Air BP and our partners in Oslo,” said Thorsten Luft, Vice President Corporate Fuel Management of Lufthansa German Airlines. “Lufthansa was the first airline worldwide to sign a regular procurement contract of this kind with its suppliers. The Lufthansa Group aims to bring new perspectives to the improvement of aviation’s carbon footprint through the use of biofuel, as well as new and fuel-efficient aircraft.”
Working with experts from SkyNRG, Air BP sourced the initial batch of drop-in Biojet from Neste’s Porvoo refinery in Finland, The Biojet is produced from Camelina oil within the framework of the demonstration project ITAKA, which is funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme. SkyNRG has its operations RSB* certified and is structurally advised by an independent sustainability board of which, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature the Netherlands, amongst other NGOs, holds a seat.