Gatwick Airport: All EasyJet Flights To Cop26 To Use Sustainable Fuel Blend

EasyJet will use a Sustainable Aviation Fuel blend on all 42 flights to Glasgow's COP26 Climate Change Conference.

It's the first time the fuel blend has been used at Gatwick Airport and its been made possible through a collaboration between Q8Aviation, easyJet, Gatwick Airport Ltd and Neste.

It's all thanks to an electric hydrant dispenser, the first in the UK, provided by World Fuel Services at the airport, in a bid to "further decarbonise its Gatwick operations'.

The first jet to use the fuel departed from Gatwick on Tuesday (Oct 19), with a total of 42 other flights scheduled, between October 31st and November 12th, to use the 30 percent Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ blend.  

Officials say CO2 emissions will have been reduced by up to 70 tonnes through use of the SAF blend on these flights alone.

The aim is to achieve a net carbon emission reduction in the fuel used in aviation and work towards an ultimate goal for aviation to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Q8Aviation has delivered the first supply of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to the fuel supply at Gatwick Airport.

Neste’s market-leading sustainable aviation fuel, which is fully certified, is produced from 100% renewable and sustainable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste.

In its neat form and over its life cycle, the fuel can achieve a reduction of up to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil jet fuel use. 

The process:

It starts with Neste-produced SAF which is blended with Jet A-1 fuel at a depot upstream of Gatwick Airport to create a drop-in fuel that is compatible with existing aircraft engines and the airport infrastructure, without requiring extra investment.

Q8Aviation then deliver the fuel to the main storage tanks at Gatwick Airport for supply to easyJet aircraft via the airport’s hydrant system. 

Gatwick reports its own 2019 carbon footprint is already half-way to net zero for its own operations and is committed to achieving Net Zero direct emissions by 2040.

The new electric hydrant dispenser, serving the 71 aircraft in EasyJet's fleet at Gatwick, can reduce 18,000 kgs of CO2 emissions annually.

Naser Ben Butain, General Manager Q8Aviation said:

“We are delighted to play our part in supplying the first sustainable aviation fuel to easyJet at Gatwick. We have forged a strong partnership with easyJet over many years, and benefit from excellent support from Gatwick Airport Ltd and Neste and look forward to working closely with all the partners to further our sustainability objectives.” 

Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability at easyJet said:

“At easyJet, we want to play our part to lead the decarbonisation of aviation. We’re pleased to announce that today we’re operating using SAF in a proof of concept flight from Gatwick having also committed to using a SAF blend on all flights operating from Gatwick to Glasgow throughout COP26, thanks to a collaborative effort with our partners involved in this project. 

“The availability of SAF still needs to grow but they will be an important interim solution in our decarbonisation pathway, while we are supporting the development of zero-emission aircraft, which will be the most sustainable solution for short-haul networks such as our own in the long term.

"In the meantime, we are operating our flights as efficiently as possible and are currently the only major European airline to offset the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all our flights, which has an impact right now.”

Tim Norwood, Director of Corporate Affairs, Planning and Sustainability of Gatwick Airport said:

“We are pleased to work with our partners to be the first airport in the VINCI Airport network to introduce SAF on a commercial flight and prove the concept that Gatwick is ready and able to operationally utilise SAF.  

"SAF is one of several ways that UK aviation and Gatwick will reach net zero carbon by 2050, alongside carbon offsets, airspace modernisation and continued innovation in aerospace technology, including electric, hydrogen and hybrid aircraft systems.  

"With smart Government policy to underpin investment in cost competitive UK SAF production, many more flights could be using UK produced SAF by the mid-2020s.”

Jonathan Wood, Vice President Europe, Renewable Aviation at Neste said:

“The aviation industry has already taken important steps to reduce its environmental impact. A key element in achieving this is the wider introduction of sustainable aviation fuel. Neste is investing as we speak to increase SAF production capacity from 100k metric tonnes to 1.5 m metric tonnes annually in 2023.

"Neste welcomes government proposals to encourage the use of SAF to reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions. It is important that more and more airlines, airports and fuel suppliers lead the way to a more sustainable future for aviation. We are happy to welcome easyJet, Q8Aviation and Gatwick Airport among these frontrunners. "

Duncan Storey, Vice President, Supply Aviation Europe at World Fuel Services said:

"We congratulate easyJet and Gatwick Airport's vision to expand beyond SAF and to decarbonise the aircraft turnaround. We’re committed to helping every customer reach their sustainability goals.

"For easyJet, we designed and sourced an electric hydrant dispenser. Previously for Gatwick Airport, we provided Airport Carbon Accreditation consulting. World Fuel is unique because we can provide end-to-end solutions in-house through our sustainability division, World Kinect Energy Services."