Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is the generic term for all aviation fuels that are produced without the use of fossil materials such as crude oil or natural gas. SAF is a decisive technological key for more sustainable flying and essential for the energy transition in aviation and can be fed into regular flight operations without infrastructure adjustments.
Compared to fossil fuels, SAF, which is used by the Lufthansa Group, reduces CO2 emissions by at least 80%. By supporting the use of SAF, our customers can contribute to reducing the CO2 emissions of future flights. Based on the estimated flight-related CO2 emissions, we calculate the required amount of fuel. This amount serves as the basis for the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel on future Lufthansa Group flights and is integrated into flight operations within six months after the respective flight.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is produced in a resource-saving process. There are various manufacturing processes and different feedstocks available as energy carriers. The current generation of SAF used by the Lufthansa Group is mainly produced from biogenic residues, such as used cooking oils and waste fats.
The special thing about it is that although the combustion of SAF and fossil fuel produces identical amounts of CO2, the use of SAF creates a CO2 cycle: Biogenic residues (e.g. used cooking oils) that have previously removed CO2 from the atmosphere are used as a feedstock for production. When SAF is burned, therefore, only as much CO2 is emitted as was previously removed from the atmosphere by the feedstock materials. As CO2 is currently still produced during the manufacturing and delivery process of SAF, it does not reduce CO2 emissions by 100% over the entire lifecycle compared to fossil fuel, but by at least 80%.
SAF is currently around three to five times more expensive than fossil aviation fuels and is not yet available in sufficient quantities worldwide to use SAF on all flights. The Lufthansa Group is involved in numerous projects to ensure that Sustainable Aviation Fuels become available in larger quantities as quickly as possible. The more industrialized and scaled up production becomes, the more the price will decrease in the foreseeable future.
The Lufthansa Group calculates the SAF price-premium based on the additional market costs incurred by the use of SAF instead of fossil kerosene.
Depending on the booking class and aircraft type, a flight-related CO2 amount is determined using an algorithm. Based on this estimate, travelers can choose a combination of the use of SAF and the support of high-quality climate protection projects to contribute to reducing the climate impact of future flights.
The SAF used in Lufthansa Group customer offers is purchased in addition to the current regulatory SAF blending mandates in the EU and Switzerland of 2%, which are already included in the ticket price, and is integrated into Lufthansa Group flight operations within six months after the respective flight.
The SAF used by the Lufthansa Group is produced from raw materials in accordance with the Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EU Article 30) ‘RED II’. All SAF used is certified according to the ISCC or RSB system with a greenhouse gas reduction of at least 80%. The renewable part of the product is produced in a sustainable and ethical manner using good agricultural and industrial practices, complying with all applicable labour rights and laws and all environmental regulations, including but not limited to ILO Convention No. 138, ILO Convention No. 182 and ILO Convention No. 105. The product and raw material comply with applicable European legislation, in particular the latest Renewable Energy Directive.
