OMV to begin supplying Air France-KLM with SAF this year

OMV, the integrated energy, fuels, feedstock, chemicals and materials company headquartered in Vienna, Austria, announced Sept. 18 that it has signed an offtake agreement to supply 2,000 metric tons (approximately 665,000 gallons) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to the Air France-KLM Group in 2023.

This offtake agreement follows an existing memorandum of understanding, granting Air France-KLM access to purchase more than 300,000 tons (approximately 100 million gallons) of SAF from OMV by 2030.

OMV is implementing numerous measures to achieve its ambitious strategic sustainability goals, and SAF is an essential contributor to this transformation.

Based on the strategic outlook for the aviation sector, it is OMV’s ambition to become a regional leader in SAF supply, making use of the advantageous infrastructure in place.

This portfolio upgrade is in line with OMV’s commitment to become a net-zero company by 2050 (for scope 1, 2 and 3) at the latest.

Furthermore, the European Parliament recently passed a new law to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels in the aviation sector.

EU airports and fuels suppliers must ensure that, starting from 2025, at least 2 percent of aviation fuels will be “green,” with this share increasing every five years.

In addition, there will be an EU label for the environmental performance of flights as of 2025.

“This offtake agreement is a great opportunity to accelerate the sustainability efforts of both companies,” said Martijn van Koten, OMV’s executive vice president of fuels and feedstock. “Sustainable aviation fuel significantly reduces CO2 emissions, and we are delighted to make progress together with strong partners like Air France-KLM and to provide solutions for the sustainable development of the aviation industry.”

Fatima Da Gloria De Sousa, vice president of sustainability with Air France-KLM, added, “Air France-KLM is glad to partner with OMV to increase our SAF uptake and contribute to the emerging SAF industry. We aim to be at the forefront of sustainable aviation, and this translates into ambitious, tangible targets. By 2030, we aim to incorporate at least 10 percent of SAF in all our flights, which goes beyond the mandates set by the European Union. We have already secured three out of those 10 percent, and we are actively building a worldwide network of SAF providers.”

SAF is produced by OMV by coprocessing sustainable and regional raw materials, specifically used cooking oil, at its Schwechat refinery in Austria.

Compared to conventional jet fuel, SAF contributes to a reduction of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by more than 80 percent over the entire lifecycle.

Air France-KLM has implemented a strict sourcing policy and is committed to purchasing only SAF that does not compete with food or feed, is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials or International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System for their sustainability and is not produced from palm oil.

SAF projects selected by Air France-KLM reduce CO2 emissions by a minimum of 75 percent compared with conventional jet fuel on a lifecycle basis and require no engine modifications.