With two weekly departures planned between Gothenburg Landvetter and Lyon-Saint Exupéry  from this autumn , Volvo Group will fly their employees with Braathens Regional Airlines aircraft using 50% sustainable aviation fuel.

“In collaboration with Volvo Group we have decided to fly with 50% SAF, which is currently the maximum amount permitted in commercial aviation,” said Martin Erkenborn, chief commercial officer at Braathens Regional Airlines.

Currently the maximum SAF permitted in commercial traffic is 50%. BRA is running a project in collaboration with aircraft manufacturer ATR and fuel producers Neste aiming to speed up the process of certifying 100% fossil free flights.

The new route between Gothenburg and Lyon will be the first commercial route in the world which will be flown with 50% SAF. For Volvo Group this means that they can fly their employees between Renault headquarters in Lyon and Volvo Group headquarters in Gothenburg with what is today the most sustainable way to fly. Through this first flight route with the highest possible amount of SAF, the companies hope that together they can act as inspiration for other companies to change their ways into a more sustainable way of travelling.

“Within the EU, a new quota obligation is currently being discussed,” said Erkenborn. “The mandate is expected to go up between 38-54% by the year 2045. With this flight route, we will achieve a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by at least 40% from day one. Our hope is that this is just the beginning, and together with our corporate customers we can have several routes with similar solutions. It is also both exciting and important as this proves we can already today reach the EU goal for 2045. We hope that this route can inspire others to find similar solutions of flying more sustainably with the use of biofuels.”

“We have a responsibility towards future generations for a more sustainable future,” said Andrea Fuder, chief purchasing officer, Volvo Group. “We hope to inspire other companies to do the same and maximize the use of SAF. Flying is unavoidable to ensure that our people within Volvo Group can do business efficiently by meeting in person. Through the collaboration with Braathens Regional Airlines, we will do this in a more responsible way. This is only one example of a value-adding partnership we establish – using the full eco-system – to contribute to our climate goals as a company.”

Recently, Airbus has also been working with Volotea, the current TLS-FXW charter service provider, on the uptake of SAF. Like Airbus, Volotea shares a commitment towards making travel sustainable. Since autumn this year, the two companies will be fuelling a regional jet from Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, with a 34% ‘drop-in’ SAF blend. This mix is the same fuel proposed for customer deliveries from Airbus’ Hamburg site and which also fuels the Beluga It has upwards of 80% GHG emissions reduction.