The Air France-KLM Group, which resulted from the merger between the French and Dutch national airlines, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TotalEnergies to purchase some 800,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel over a decade starting from next year.
TotalEnergies will mostly supply SAF, which has 80% lower lifecycle CO2 emissions when compared to conventional aviation fuel, to flights taking off from the Netherlands or France. Air France-KLM’s strict sourcing policy also means that the SAF cannot be produced from feedstock that impacts the cultivation of animal feed or human food. Fortunately, TotalEnergies makes its biofuel from residue and waste, such as used cooking oil and animal fat, from the circular economy.
TotalEnergies CEO and Chairman Patrick Pouyanné said in a statement that developing biofuels was a strategic priority for his company, adding that the collaboration:
“With Air France-KLM exemplifies the excellence of industry and French aerospace in committing to a more sustainable aviation sector. By directly reducing the carbon intensity of the energy products used by our air transport customers, we are actively working with them to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, together with society.”
TotalEnergies, which also makes industrial products like the Total Dacnis compressor oil, has set itself the goal of making 1.5 million tonnes of SAF by the end of this decade. It supplies just under 280 airlines with fuel at over 300 airports around the world, and it has already supplied SAF for a limited number of Air France-KLM flights in recent years.
