Franco-Dutch airline Air France-KLM has inked a significant deal with French energy giant TotalEnergies to secure 1.5 million tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the next decade, extending to 2035.
Despite ongoing debates regarding the effectiveness of SAF in mitigating the aviation sector’s climate impact, major airlines are increasingly incorporating SAF blends into their fuel supplies. Air France-KLM has positioned itself as a leading user, claiming it utilized 16% of the world’s sustainable fuel production in 2023. This latest agreement formalizes a 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies, initially aimed at supplying 800,000 tons of SAF.
Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, emphasized the dual benefits of SAF, stating it aids both the aviation industry’s energy transition and the industrial transformation of refineries. “It represents a genuine ‘win-win’ for the future of both sectors,” he noted.
Pouyanné further highlighted TotalEnergies’ commitment to this field, citing a decade of pioneering efforts in biorefineries and SAF production facilities in France, alongside the development of co-processing technologies in existing refineries. He affirmed the company’s intention to sustain this momentum across Europe and globally.
