Emirates joins Aireg to bolster sustainable aviation fuel efforts

Emirates made history as the first international airline to join aireg, the Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany.

This pledge will see Emirates actively contributing to the production of locally sourced SAF in Germany, adding to a series of SAF initiatives the airline has launched recently.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the partnership, Tim Clark, President of Emirates, stated, "We’re very pleased to become a member of aireg and contribute to Germany’s efforts to build its capacities to become a centre for SAF production. Our industry requires large quantities of sustainable aviation fuel at a commercially viable cost, yet the shortage persists. Ramping up and furthering technologies for the production of SAF requires the partnership and support from multiple stakeholders and we are confident that aireg will lead in this regard."

Siegfried Knecht, Chairman of the Executive Board of aireg, also welcomed the collaboration, saying, "I am equally humbled and proud to welcome a leader in global aviation in our membership, and on behalf of the entire aireg board, I very much look forward to a fruitful partnership and cooperation. We need all hands-on deck – airlines, airports, OEMs, producers, suppliers, RTOs, startups, and of course, politics – to get us well on track towards net-zero by 2050."

Germany is one of Emirates’ most crucial markets, with the airline serving German skies, cities, and communities since 1987. Aireg is dedicated to increasing the production and use of regenerative aviation fuels in Germany.

Currently, Emirates operates flights from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris, Lyon, Oslo, and Singapore using SAF. Last year, the airline collaborated with Shell Aviation to supply SAF into Dubai Airport's fuelling systems for the first time, allocating the SAF to numerous flights.

Emirates, the world’s largest A380 operator, made its return to ILA Berlin for the seventh consecutive time. The Emirates A380 is on static display for all five days of the airshow, reaffirming the airline's commitment to the EU’s leading aerospace event. The positioning flight from Berlin to Dubai on Monday will be operated with blended fuel that contains neat SAF, highlighting Emirates' active role in reducing carbon emissions at ILA Berlin 2024.