Gevo Inc. announced June 17 that Virgin Australia has used Gevo’s sustainable aviation jet fuel (SAJF) to power 1 million kilometers of flights, for all aircraft operating in and out of Brisbane Airport when the fuel was put through the general fuel supply system. This marks another important step for Virgin Australia towards building a supply chain for the long-term commercial use of Gevo’s SAJF in Australia to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Since the first container of SAJF was delivered to Brisbane back in August 2018, Virgin Australia has continued to work with Gevo and has welcomed three more deliveries of the SAJF since this time.

Dayna Field, Virgin Australia chief legal and risk officer, said the 1 million kilometers flown represents an important milestone and demonstrates that this low-carbon product can go the distance. “Virgin Australia is proud to have led this initiative in Brisbane,” she said, “as it has been an important step in promoting the use and production of sustainable aviation fuels in our region. We are actively looking at ways to reduce our carbon emissions and low-carbon fuels present a real opportunity. As a diversified airline group, we know that establishing a local low-carbon fuel industry will have positive environmental, social and economic impacts.”

Patrick R. Gruber, Gevo’s CEO, said, “We are pleased to be working with Virgin Australia to get our defossilized, sustainable jet fuel into the Australian air. We appreciate the efforts of all the project partners, the Queensland government, the Brisbane Airport, Caltex and DB Schenker who have all tirelessly worked to commence the transformation of the Australian jet fuel supply chain. This is a very good milestone that demonstrates the potential for the future.”