Emirates Begins SAF-fueled Flights from Dubai

DALLAS - Emirates (EK) announced that it began operating flights with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Dubai International Airport (DXB) on October 24, 2023.

Shell Aviation has supplied 315,000 gallons of blended SAF for use at the airline’s hub in Dubai. The blended SAF comprises a ratio of 40% neat SAF and 60% conventional Jet A-1 fuel. The chemical characteristics can seamlessly be integrated into the existing airport fuel infrastructure as well as in the engines of the entire Emirates fleet with no modifications required.

In its neat form, SAF reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent over its life cycle when compared with conventional jet fuel.

Fueling Emirates Aircraft with SAF. Photo: Airways Magazine

EK began using SAF in 2017 on a flight from Chicago (ORD); since then, flights from Stockholm (ARN), Paris (CDG), Lyon (LYS), and Oslo (OSL) have also operated with blended SAF. The airline has been actively championing to strengthen the body of research around the industry’s understanding of SAF use in higher blends, including its performance, safety and reliability. EK also supports standardization and future certification of 100% SAF, which is currently not yet approved for regular commercial use.

Emirates-Shell Memorandum of Understanding

Earlier this year, Emirates and Shell signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore areas of collaboration around sustainable travel and technology-driven travel experiences. The airline and the aviation fuel supplier agreed to jointly evaluate mechanisms to reduce travel emissions for Shell’s business travel requirements. Emirates is currently using Avelia, a platform that provides fully traceable environmental attributes, to track the benefits of SAF.

Commenting on its commitment to using SAF, Emirates President, Sir Tim Clark, said: “We’re pushing ahead with proactive measures to enable more sustainable flying now and in the future, and powering flights from our Dubai hub is just one of the steps we’ve taken to reduce emissions and concretely help our customers minimise their own carbon footprint."

Jan Toschka, President of Shell Aviation, added: “Emirates and Shell have a long-standing history of collaboration, and we are thrilled to continue this journey together to enable SAF usage in the UAE."

Featured image: Airbus A380-800 A6-EUG Emirates. Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways