DALLAS – Air Europa (UX) and Spanish petroleum company Compañía Española de Petróleos, S.A.U. (Cepsa) have joined forces to provide sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the airlines Madrid (MAD) to Havana (HAV) flights. The move marks the first time two Spanish companies have set up a regular SAF supply for a particular service.
The agreement, which will span a year and cover the first monthly MAD-HAV flights, will see 14.4 tons of SAF provided by Cepsa. This will cut around 50 tons of CO2 emissions. Each trip will see 2% SAF and form part of the European Union’s “ReFuelEU Aviation” strategy to increase sustainability in the industry.
Cepsa creates the SAF at its La Rábida Energy Park, comprising organic waste and used cooking oils. The second-generation biofuel can help cut aircraft emissions by up to 90% and prevent these waste materials from ending in landfills. It plans to build the largest second-generation biofuel plant in southern Europe after investing up to €1bn, scheduled to open in 2026. It will be able to produce up to 500,000 tons of SAF and renewable diesel. Cepsa has also become the first company in Spain to offer SAF at Madrid (MAD), Barcelona (BCN), Palma (PMI) and Seville (SVQ) airports.
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Jesús Nuño de la Rosa, CEO of Air Europa, said, “This agreement complies with the commitments made in terms of sustainability, one of the backbones of the airline’s Strategic Plan 2023-2025. Likewise, by using this fuel on the route to Havana, the company makes visible its strategic role in air connectivity with America.”
Meanwhile, the Director of Aviation at Cepsa, Tobi Pardo, added, “We firmly believe that these types of initiatives are fundamental to move towards more environmentally friendly aviation. We are proud to collaborate with Air Europa in its commitment to the decarbonization of air transport, helping Spain to become a benchmark for sustainable tourism. We will continue to invest in innovative technologies that allow us to offer more efficient solutions to facilitate their energy transition and a cleaner and safer future for all.”
Featured Image: EC-MOM Air Europa Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner MAD LEMD. Photo: Adrian Nowakowski/Airways.
Article source: https://airwaysmag.com/cepsa-to-proivide-saf-to-air-europa/
