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

This offtake agreement follows an existing MoU, granting Air France-KLM access to purchase more than 300,000 metric tons 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 latest 2050 (for Scope 1, 2 and 3).

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 2025¹. 

Martijn van Koten, OMV executive vice president fuels and feedstock, said, “This offtake agreement is a great opportunity to accelerate the sustainability efforts of both companies. 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 sustainability, Air France-KLM, stated, “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 3 out of those 10 percent, and we are actively building a worldwide network of SAF providers.”

Sustainable Aviation Fuel is produced by OMV by co-processing sustainable and regional raw materials, specifically used cooking oil, at its Schwechat refinery in Austria. Compared to conventional jet fuel, Sustainable Aviation Fuel contributes to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent over the entire life cycle. 

Air France-KLM has implemented a strict sourcing policy and is committed to purchasing only SAF that do not compete with food or feed, are RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) or ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) certified for their sustainability and are 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.

¹ 70 percent of jet fuels at EU airports will have to be green by 2050 | News | European Parliament (europa.eu)