Singapore Airlines Ltd. will start selling sustainable aviation fuel credits in July, a move that will help travelers mitigate carbon footprints as businesses and governments work to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The city-state’s flag carrier plans to sell 1,000 SAF credits to travelers and freight forwarders, it said in a joint statement Wednesday with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Temasek Holdings Pte. The credits are generated from 1,000 tons of the cleaner fuel delivered to Changi Airport, and each credit purchased will help reduce 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the statement.
Airlines and governments are looking to SAF as a way to cut emissions, as more-advanced technology like battery-powered aircraft capable of flying long distances is still only in research stages. However, the fuel — derived from everything from waste oils and fats to sugar crops and trees — is in short supply and accounts for less than 0.1% of global aviation fuel demand.
Singapore announced in November a yearlong pilot program to use a blend of SAF on flights operated by Singapore Airlines and its budget arm Scoot from Changi Airport in the third quarter. While the fuel should help the airline reduce emissions, limited availability poses a challenge to cutting jet-fuel consumption.
“We can now offer more opportunities for our corporate customers and travelers to mitigate their carbon emissions using SAF credits,” Lee Wen Fen, senior vice president of corporate planning at the airline, said in the statement. “This will help to accelerate and scale up the collective adoption of SAF, reinforcing our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Singapore Airlines customers will also be able to purchase a mix of SAF credits and carbon offsets from the fourth quarter as part of its voluntary carbon offset program. The carrier will partner with Climate Impact X, a global exchange for carbon credits, to introduce a bundled portfolio of these credits.
Exxon Mobil Corp. was selected in February to supply the SAF, which is more expensive than jet fuel so adds to the financial burden on airlines. The International Air Transport Association has said that more than half of carbon emitted by airlines will be reduced by SAF.
Other measures Singapore Airlines is taking to reduce emissions include operating a young fleet and reducing weight on planes — offering magazines on its digital platform and using bamboo cutlery. The average age of planes operated by Singapore Airlines and Scoot was 6 years and two months, compared with 15 years and four months globally, the carrier said in May.
Source: Civil Aviation Authority – Qatar