Vueling, part of IAG, has said that over 100,000 passengers have opted in to contribute to supply Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on the day of their flight contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions, with SAF playing a crucial role in the decarbonisation of aviation by reducing CO2 emissions by 80% compared to traditional fuels. 

The option to contribute is available during the booking process and is matched by Vueling to double the amount of SAF supplied. This is available as a result of the partnership with Avikor, a service offered by Exolum.

Following the recent one-year anniversary of this collaboration, Vueling reveals some of the results of this partnership highlighting that more than 50% of the engaged consumers using the SAF scheme are aged 35 to 64, 40% are younger than 34, and 9% are older than 65.

Avikor is now part of Vueling’s ticketing online system enabling passengers to contribute with SAF through this alliance, resulting in over 145 tonnes already supplied. This accomplishment has helped to reduce the emissions of up to 350 CO2 tonnes, which is equivalent to 37 roundtrips from London Gatwick to Orly or 15 from Barcelona to London Gatwick.

Vueling has said that it is on track to achieve its 2030 goal of using 10% SAF, almost doubling that of the European Union’s six-percent requirement. By 2030, Vueling hopes to supply more than 100,000 tonnes of SAF annually. Additionally, the IAG group to which Vueling belongs was the first airline group to commit to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 in the framework of its Flightpath Net Zero programme.

Although SAF is already a reality and can be used on the current aircraft, there are still some challenges in terms of production levels. The company advocates incentivising the production of SAF to accelerate the decarbonisation of aviation.

Franc Sanmarti, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs at Vueling, says:

“Since the launch of the SAF supply contribution, Vueling has continued to offer competitive prices whilst also providing an option to reduce the environmental impact of flying, supporting the transition to carbon neutral and more sustainable transportation. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go, as we need to accelerate SAF production if we want to meet the industry’s demand in the short and medium term”.