British Airways to become first airline to use sustainable fuel - and it's made on the bank of the Humber

The carrier announced it will fly planes using the lower carbon fuel from early next year.

The SAF will be produced at Phillips 66’s Humber Refinery, near Immingham, Lincolnshire, using renewable foodstocks such as waste fats, oils and greases.

British Airways has agreed to purchase enough of the fuel to reduce its lifecycle CO2 emissions by nearly 100,000 tonnes, which could power the equivalent of 700 net-zero flights between London and New York.

SAF production reduces carbon emissions by around 80 per cent compared with traditional jet fuel, but it is more expensive.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle said the agreement with Phillips 66 is an “important step on our journey” to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and powering 10 per cent of flights with SAF by 2030.

He went on: “The UK has the resources and capabilities to be a global leader in the development of SAF and scaling up the production of SAF requires a truly collaborative approach between industry and Government.

“We are excited to develop our relationship with Phillips 66 Limited further with a view to growing production capacity and using a wider range of sustainable waste feedstocks to supply our future flights. The development of sustainable aviation fuel is a major focus for us and forms part of our commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a series of short, medium and long-term initiatives.”

British Airways operated its first flight using SAF from London to Glasgow during last month’s COP26 climate summit.

The airline said the flight from London Heathrow to Glasgow demonstrated how “aviation is decarbonising”.

Humber Refinery general manager Darren Cunningham said British Airways’ announcement about the use of the refinery’s sustainable aviation fuel demonstrates “the importance the aviation and energy industries are placing on sustainability”.

He said the Humber Refinery was the first in the UK to co-process waste oils to produce renewable fuels and will be the first to produce SAF at scale.

He said: “We are delighted British Airways is our first UK customer. We’re refining almost half a million litres of sustainable waste feedstocks a day, and this is just a start. Markets for lower-carbon products are growing.”