Air Greenland signs historic SAF agreement with DCC & Shell Aviation

Owned by the Self-Government of Greenland, Air Greenland flies to a total of 62 domestic destinations plus it operates the Atlantic route to Denmark and the route to Iceland.

The air carrier operates its activities on one of Europe’s most complicated operating licenses and has an aircraft fleet that meets the needs for passenger transport, mineral exploration, heli-skiing, sightseeing, scientific expeditions, search and rescue operations, and maintenance of critical infrastructure.

我们要支持格陵兰成为的目标a sustainable destination by reducing fuel consumption and thus our CO₂emissions. With the replacement of our Atlantic aircraft for an A330-800 neo, we took another important step in the green transition of aviation in December. Now, we also commit to using up to five percent of SAF on our flights to and from Copenhagen. The combined impact of the SAF and our new aircraft fleet will reduce our CO₂emissions. I am proud that owing to this agreement, Air Greenland will be among the leading airlines in Europe’s green transition, said Jacob Nitter Sørensen, CEO of Air Greenland.

With a historic agreement on SAF made from bio-waste, Air Greenland is taking a major step in the company’s ambition to fly more sustainably and at the same time become an international leader.

Since 2019, Air Greenland’s Board of Directors has been working strategically to modernize the fleet with more sustainable aircraft and helicopters. We want to support the goal of Greenland becoming a sustainable destination by reducing fuel consumption and thus our CO₂emissions. The desire to contribute to the green transition in aviation is deeply rooted in Air Greenland’s culture, and sustainability has therefore been a weighty element in connection with the replacement of our Atlantic aircraft with an A330neo, said Bodil Marie Damgaard, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Air Greenland.

With this development, Air Greenland is introducing SAF into its flight operations ahead of the forthcoming European Union (EU) mandates, at a higher level than they will initially require, on a voluntary basis.

In light of the fact that the EU is discussing a SAF mandate starting at two percent in 2025, it is a really big step that we are now taking with Air Greenland. This is in fact a remarkable initiative, also from a broader international perspective. It is by far the largest SAF supply agreement, in terms of fuel proportions, that we have ever signed, said Ulrik V. Brendstrup, CEO of DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark.

The agreement with DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark means that SAF will constitute approximately five percent of fuel consumption along the route to and from Copenhagen in 2023, currently higher than any other flight route in Denmark.

This is the latest example of DCC Energy bringing our customers novel decarbonization solutions. It builds on our other “firsts” in the Danish aviation market over the last couple of years. We are also showcasing our partnership approach – in this case with Shell. Expect to see more and more of DCC linking future-focused partners with our customers like Air Greenland, said Fabian Ziegler, CEO of DCC Energy.

The largest independent jet fuel supplier and adviser to Danish aviation, DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark is a joint venture between DCC Holding Denmark and Shell’s global aviation fuel business. the company is responsible for the logistics and supply of Shell jet fuel to nine Danish airports.

It’s fantastic to see Air Greenland getting ahead of the game on SAF and already voluntarily committing to proportions of SAF beyond those set to be required from 2025. Air Greenland and Shell both recognize that SAF will be the key lever to decarbonize flights by 2050 and through this agreement we’re helping to make Greenland a more sustainable travel destination. I’m very pleased with the role Shell has played as a partner trusted to deliver on SAF, said Ashleigh McDougall, General Manager, Shell Aviation Europe & Africa.

With the agreement, SAF will now for the first time be supplied to Denmark’s largest airport.

Here, the supply of SAF to Air Greenland will be part of the overall infrastructure. In this way, the agreement also opens a new chapter for Copenhagen Airport A/S.

There is no doubt that the use of more sustainable aviation fuels is crucial to accelerate the green transition in aviation, and at Copenhagen Airport, we are actively working to promote the development and use of these fuels. Therefore, we are very pleased that DCC & Shell Aviation are now introducing SAF at Copenhagen Airport. While we are waiting for the right framework conditions to ensure that the development and scaling of the new PtX fuels really takes off, the bio-based fuels are a good place to start, and I hope that Air Greenland’s exemplary initiative will inspire other companies operating at the airport. To me, it is also a sign that the industry itself is ready to take the lead in the transition, ended Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports.