Finnair, the airline specialized in connecting Europe and Asia, and Neste, the world’s largest producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable waste and residues, have signed a new agreement that will gradually and considerably increase Finnair’s use of SAF in its operations. The new partnership will be a key contributing factor in Finnair’s long-term target of carbon neutrality. SAFs are a key part of the long-term solution for reducing the CO2 footprint of aviation, as they reduce the CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent compared to fossil fuels. 

The partnership will not only increase Finnair’s use of SAF, but it will also boost the production of SAF in Finland. Growing availability is also important in order to make SAF more widely used and affordable for Finnair’s future flight operations. 

“We are excited about increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel in our operations from our Helsinki hub,” said Topi Manner, Finnair CEO. “Sustainable aviation fuels are a key part of our long-term plan for carbon neutrality—by the end of 2025, we expect to spend some 10 million euros annually on sustainable aviation fuels. Developing a healthy sustainable aviation fuel market requires commitment from forerunners, and we are happy to be leading the way with Neste.”

“Decreasing emissions from aviation calls for cooperation, as this challenge cannot be solved by anyone alone,” said Peter Vanacker, Neste’s president and CEO. “We are very pleased to cooperate with Finnair, and support Finnair’s carbon neutrality target. Besides the fuel supply, this partnership offers us an opportunity for contributing to our own climate targets by decreasing CO2 emissions of our employees’ business travel with Finnair through the use of Neste MY Renewable Jet Fuel.” 

Finnair will encourage its customers to support the use of SAF by offering integrated ticket solutions that will include a SAF option later this year and will match the contributions customers make to SAF with its own purchases. Finnair will also use SAF to decrease the CO2 footprint of its own staff duty travel. 

In addition, Finnair, the Finnish airport operator Finavia and Neste are working together to define ways for corporate customers to be able to reduce the CO2 footprint of their travel with SAF. 

“Achieving concrete CO2 reductions is key to solving the CO2 challenge of aviation, and to ensure a sustainable future where the benefits of aviation can continue, while its climate impacts are dramatically reduced,” Manner added.

“Currently, sustainable aviation fuel offers the only viable alternative to fossil liquid fuels for powering commercial aircraft,” Vanacker said. “Neste’s sustainable aviation fuel is fully compatible with the existing jet engine technology and fuel distribution infrastructure when blended with fossil jet fuel.”