For many years, KLM has invested in making aviation cleaner, quieter, and more fuel-efficient. In addition to fleet renewal, SAF is one of the most effective ways to significantly reduce aviation’s CO₂ emissions. While SAF produces the same CO₂ emissions during flight as fossil kerosene, its total lifecycle emissions—from production to combustion—are significantly lower, reducing CO₂ by at least 65% and up to more than 90% compared to conventional kerosene.

SAF is currently three to four times more expensive than fossil kerosene. While this plant is an important milestone, further efforts are needed to accelerate production and make SAF more widely available and affordable. It is therefore encouraging that the new coalition agreement includes plans to expand alternative aviation fuels and support SAF production in the Netherlands. KLM calls on the government to work together to accelerate and scale up SAF, for example through a national SAF fund, as recommended in the Wennink report “The Route to Future Prosperity.”

The DSL-01 project demonstrates what is possible, while also underlining the need for more initiatives like this to achieve the Dutch target of 14% SAF blending by 2030.

KLM already pioneered this in 2021 by operating the first commercial flight using synthetic kerosene to Madrid. Whereas 500 liters of e-SAF could be blended then, only 200 liters are being used now. This shows how great the challenge is: the availability of e-SAF still lags far behind ambitions. Today, only a fraction of the e-SAF mandate imposed by Europe for 2030 is actually in production. Making e-SAF widely available and affordable on a large scale remains, alongside SAF, a major challenge.

Alternative fuels as a priority
KLM supports the European mandate for the use of alternative fuels and will continue to invest in making aviation more sustainable. At the same time, current e-SAF production figures show that the European sub-target of a 1.2% e-SAF blend by 2030 is a major challenge. In addition to the fact that e-SAF is currently four times more expensive than SAF (around eight times more expensive than conventional kerosene), there is as yet no e-SAF production on a large scale. The process of obtaining construction and environmental permits in Europe also plays a role, as does uncertainty over possible changes to ReFuelEU legislation. It therefore remains crucial for governments across Europe to commit and invest in accelerating and scaling up alternative aviation fuels, both SAF and e-SAF.

Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM: “As CEO of KLM and chair of Project SkyPower, I believe e-SAF can make a real difference in making aviation more sustainable. KLM already pioneered a passenger flight on e-SAF in 2021, from Amsterdam to Madrid. Today’s flight to Hamburg once again shows that flying on synthetic kerosene is technically possible. But the reality is that the availability of e-SAF lags far behind ambition. To truly make a difference, we must work together with governments, industry, and partners on scaling up and affordability in order to accelerate the sustainability of aviation.”

Christian Kunsch, Chairman of the Executive Board of Hamburg Airport: “Sustainably produced aviation fuels will play an important role in decarbonizing aviation in the coming years. Our infrastructure is fully ready, and we actively support airlines in the use of locally produced blends, including through targeted incentives. Today’s e-SAF flight marks an important milestone on the path toward lower CO₂ emissions through the use of alternative fuels.”

Tim Boeltken, Co-founder and CEO of INERATEC: “We are ready to deliver. Today’s flight, with our Chief Commercial Officer Maximilian Backhaus on board during a regular passenger service, clearly shows that power-to-liquid fuels are safe, available, and already operationally viable today. This is just the beginning of many applications we will see this year across various sectors.”

Jonathan Perkins, CEO at MB Energy: “Aviation has long been at the forefront of technological innovation.
With this operation, together with KLM and Ineratec, we are showing how lower carbon aviation fuels can be
integrated into existing infrastructure and operations. At MB Energy, we are laying the foundation today – preparing routes
to market for new fuels, adapting our infrastructure, and ensuring stable supply lines. When our customers are ready, we can deliver what they need, when they need it.”

Alongside fleet renewal, SAF is one of the most effective measures for substantially reducing our CO₂ emissions. And while SAF emits a similar amount of CO₂ during flight as conventional fuel, its overall lifecycle CO₂ impact, from production to combustion, is at least 65% lower than that of kerosene.

Marjan Rintel, CEO KLM
“We are proud of our partnership with SkyNRG, where, both as co-founder and investor, we have laid the foundation for the first dedicated SAF factory in the Netherlands. We are committed to purchasing 75,000 tons of SAF per year, which is roughly 2% of our total fuel consumption. With this factory, we are taking a concrete step towards accelerating SAF production in the Netherlands, reinforcing our leading international position in this field.

Securing the necessary permits and financing for the factory was a lengthy and challenging process. This highlights the need for an active government that invests and collaborates with the sector, so we can collectively achieve the national ambition of reaching 14% SAF blending by 2030.”

Maarten van Dijk, CEO SkyNRG
“KLM’s partnership has been at the core of this project. What we’re achieving here demonstrates that airlines and industry can jointly take responsibility for making aviation more sustainable. With the start of construction, we are proving that investments in SAF can be realized in Europe.”

This factory is an important step forward, but more is needed to rapidly scale up SAF production, making it more widely available and affordable. It is therefore encouraging that the new coalition agreement focuses on expanding alternative aviation fuels and stimulating SAF production in the Netherlands. KLM calls on the government to invest together in the acceleration and scaling up of SAF, for example, through a national SAF fund as recommended in the Wennink report ‘The Route to Future Prosperity.’ This project shows it’s possible, but it also underscores the need for more such initiatives to actually achieve the 14% blending target.

Market research conducted by Markteffect on behalf of KLM shows broad public support for an active role by the government: 87% of Dutch respondents believe that air travel tax revenue should be used to make flying cleaner. Only by working together can the government and industry truly accelerate aviation’s sustainability transition and ensure sufficient, affordable SAF is available for the entire sector.

KLM fully endorses the report’s conclusions about the crucial importance of aviation to safeguarding prosperity and maintaining the Netherlands’ innovative ecosystem. Aviation and Schiphol are crucial to our economic strength: they connect the Netherlands to the world and are essential for trade, employment and our international competitiveness. It is therefore vital that we invest collectively in a future-proof aviation sector rather than restrict it or impose additional national charges. Doing so would undermine the Netherlands’ competitive position and the global connectivity on which our prosperity depends.

KLM is investing significantly in cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient operations. Alongside fleet renewal, SAF is currently one of the most effective means of reducing aviation CO₂ emissions, cutting emissions by at least 65% across its entire lifecycle compared with fossil kerosene. KLM blends more SAF each year than required under the European mandate and has entered into a long-term offtake agreement to support the development of the Netherlands’ first dedicated SAF production facility in Delfzijl. However, to achieve the joint ambition of a 14% SAF blend in the Netherlands by 2030, alternative fuels must become more affordable and widely available. Just as with wind and solar energy, government investment can make a real difference in securing the future of sustainable aviation.

A national SAF fund: paving the way for ‘SAF Made in Holland’

The creation of a national SAF fund aligns with European efforts to accelerate the transition to sustainable fuels, including the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP), and would make ‘SAF Made in Holland’ a reality. In KLM’s view, a national SAF fund should focus on the following:

1.      Making SAF affordable for airlines
Bridge the price gap between SAF and fossil kerosene through an incentive fund, enabling airlines to actually use SAF and encouraging them to choose sustainable options. Based on current prices, an annual investment of €60 million could already deliver an additional 1% SAF blend.

2.      Accelerating production and access to raw materials
Improve access to sustainable raw materials for SAF production and remove barriers to accelerated SAF infrastructure development. This would allow the Netherlands to make significant progress in scaling up domestic production.

3.      Investing in (e)SAF innovation to become a European leader
Support the development of next-generation (e)SAF technologies and take a leading role in European innovation initiatives. The Dutch government has already taken a promising first step by joining a European pilot within the STIP programme.

The national SAF fund could be financed through the revenues from the existing Dutch aviation tax. This would allow the Netherlands, and Dutch aviation, to take the lead in scaling up alternative aviation fuels and help ensure that the national ambition of a 14% SAF blend by 2030 remains within reach.

Over and above reducing fuel consumption and as a drop-in fuel, SAF is a solution to reduce CO₂ emissions generated by the airline industry in the short to medium term, without the need for modifications to existing infrastructure and equipment. It has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions in pure form by an average of 80% (compared to fossil fuel), depending on the combination of technology and raw materials chosen, and as long as strict sustainability criteria are met.

Air France-KLM has established a strict procurement policy whereby it commits to only purchasing sustainable fuels that do not compete with the production and supply of food for humans or animals, are certified under RSB or ISCC+ and have not been produced from palm oil.

SAF is not yet widely available. KLM is committed to scaling up the production and use of SAF to achieve greater sustainability in the future. For more SAF, KLM cooperates with various parties to research and stimulate the development of various promising technologies and to stimulate the scaling up of production facilities.

Link to Air France-KLM press release.

Fly Responsibly

In 2019, KLM introduced its Fly Responsibly sustainability initiative, directed at transforming KLM into a more sustainable airline. In addition to fleet renewal, scaling-up production and use of SAF form the cornerstone of KLM’s approach. Cooperation and supportive policies are needed to create a level playing field upon which SAF will become the standard. Elbers: “A successful, ambitious climate policy hinges on cooperating well with industry parties, knowledge institutions and governments. Together, we must reach solid agreements that truly support the energy transition.”

Despite the huge impact of Covid-19, sustainability has remained a top priority for KLM. In 2021, KLM added the first of 25 new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft to its fleet. This aircraft emits 31% less CO2 per passenger than its predecessor. KLM also took part in trials involving sustainable taxiing and operated the world’s first commercial flight powered by a fuel mixture containing synthetic kerosene.

How does SBTi work?

SBTi is a partnership between four NGOs and knowledge institutions: the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), World Resources Institute (WRI), UN Global Compact and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). SBTi helps private-sector organisations to set climate targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, based on what science tells them is necessary to honour the agreement, and to give short and medium-term targets concrete shape. Working with SBTi will enable KLM to gradually reduce its CO₂ emissions per passenger-kilometre. Until the targets for Air France-KLM are set and validated, KLM will continue to work on its current ambitions for 2030.

Dutch-Swedish consortium covering the whole value chain

The consortium, which represents the whole value chain of the production, joins forces in order to increase the availability of SAF in Sweden and North Europe. To meet future demand partners will research all engineering, technical, business and sustainability angles of the project. NGOs, the Swedish government, Södra, certification systems, academics and SkyNRG’s Sustainability Board are being involved to set the right sustainability framework for this project. Sustainability factors considered in the study include the carbon balance and the biodiversity of the forest as well as potential displacement effects of utilising forestry residues for SAF production.

SAF not widely available

The current generation of aircraft engines require liquid fuels. These aircraft cannot switch to alternative energy sources such as hydrogen or electricity in the short term, and neither can airport infrastructure. SAF, as a ‘drop-in fuel’ is the solution to drastically reduce CO₂ emissions in aviation in the short to medium term, with no modifications to infrastructure or equipment required. SAF is not widely available yet. It has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 75 to almost 100 percent in its neat form, depending on the combination of technology pathway and feedstock, and as long as stringent sustainability criteria are met.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: focus on alternative technologies

Karel Bockstael, VP Sustainability at KLM, an ambitious and pioneering airline in making the operation and the aviation sector more sustainable: “To be able to become more sustainable in the future, KLM is focusing on scaling up production and use of SAF. For more SAF, we must focus on all technologies side by side and encourage the initial upscaling of production facilities. The application we support in Sweden is an important next step in the development. Current technologies based on used cooking oils will reach its limit due to scarcity, and the development of sustainable synthetic SAF has financial and technological challenges to overcome. The technology we will be deploying in Sweden is based on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and produces jet fuel based on forestry residues. There is a lot of this residue available in Sweden and the rest of Europe, making it a promising project.”

Södra: small-scale family forestry of 53,000 forest owners

Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO of Södra, an international forest industry group and the largest forest-owner association in Sweden with a membership of 53,000 forest owners: “Södra is devoted to maximize the use of every tree that comes from our 53,000 member’s forests in Southern Sweden. Using every part – like residues – is key in our ambition to show the way to a fossil-free society and contribute to the climate transition. Making high quality Sustainable Aviation Fuel from forest residues not suitable for buildings or other materials is a way of doing so and help de-carbonize aviation. With this consortium, we are working through the entire value chain to take the next step towards creating a new industry of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.”

Växjö, greenest City in Europe

Erik Tellgren, CEO of Växjö Energi, provider of products and services in the areas of electricity, district heating and district cooling in Växjö Municipality, Sweden: “Växjö Energi provides efficiently produced fossil free district heating, district cooling and electricity at the CHP plant Sandviksverket in Växjö Municipality, Sweden. Växjö, the Greenest City in Europe, has a strong will to continue contributing to reducing climate change. We also trust it is beneficial to extend our plant to also produce sustainable aviation fuel from forest residues. This would be great and as a first-of-a-kind project of vital importance to the sustainable energy transition necessary.”

SkyNRG, SAF frontrunner

Maarten van Dijk, Managing Director of SkyNRG, pioneer in SAF with the industry's biggest dedicated SAF team: “As one of the global market leaders in Sustainable Aviation Fuel we are active partners in a multitude of projects, focused on scaling different feedstock/technology pathways. The potential to use forestry residues for higher value end-uses, like SAF, is there. But before taking a next step in scaling up, it is critical to make sure we understand the sustainability and impacts of this new, integrated supply chain. We are therefore very grateful for the strong partnership and financial support from the Swedish government to take a next big step in understanding the true potential of this feedstock/technology setup.”

Watch the video about the production of the kerosene and how the flight was operated.

500 liters delivered, refueled and used

As announced during the conference, the first commercial passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Madrid last month, was carried out on an admixture of 500 liters of sustainable synthetic kerosene. Shell produced the synthetic kerosene in its research center in Amsterdam based on CO₂, water and renewable energy from sun and wind from Dutch soil.

New initiatives and startups

During the conference, the stage was set for various new initiatives and startups. For example, the start-up Synkero announced that it is collaborating with Port of Amsterdam, Schiphol, KLM and SkyNRG on the realization of a commercial synthetic sustainable kerosene factory in the Amsterdam port. The project seeks to link with sustainable initiatives in the North Sea Canal area, such as the establishment of a 100 megawatt hydrogen plant where up to 15,000 tons of green hydrogen can be produced with sustainable electricity.

Another initiative is the construction of a demonstration factory for sustainable kerosene using captured CO₂ from the air as a raw material in Rotterdam. The Zenid initiative, in which Uniper, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Climeworks, SkyNRG and Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport are participating, uses a combination of innovative technologies to focus on CO₂-neutral aviation with sustainable synthetic kerosene.

Several European politicians, including Commissioner Timmermans, the German transport minister Scheuer and his French colleague Djebbari, underlined the importance of developing sustainably produced aviation fuels to reduce CO₂ emissions and give aviation a good future.

Various European member states have indicated during the conference that they want to work on this. In a joint statement, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg and Spain indicate that recovery from the current crisis due to the pandemic must go hand in hand with accelerating the sustainability of the aviation sector in order to achieve climate goals and call on the European Commission to come up with a European blending obligation. The Member States view the development of sustainable synthetic kerosene in addition to sustainable biokerosene as one of the most promising and effective ways to reduce aviation emissions in the coming decades.

On photo: Jeroen Kok, captain and engineering pilot B737 (left), Pieter Elbers (middle) and Roland Spelt, Shell fuel operator

Sixteen members
The KLM Corporate SAF Programme was launched in 2012 and now includes sixteen partners, including ABN AMRO, Royal Schiphol Group and Arcadis. These businesses and institutions help KLM finance the purchase of SAF, thereby reducing the CO₂ footprint of their business travel by air. SAF can reduce CO₂ emissions by 85% compared to fossil kerosene, but because it is in short supply and expensive to produce, it is three times more expensive. The SAF purchased by KLM is mixed with fossil fuel and pumped into the refuelling systems at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and in Los Angeles. The SAF is produced and supplied locally at both locations. The total amount of SAF used by KLM in 2019 amounted to less than 1% of all fuel used by KLM.

“That’s less than we would like, of course. We will need to use a lot more of this fuel to substantially reduce CO₂ emissions,” explains Harm Kreulen, director of KLM Benelux. “That is why we will continue to bring the KLM Corporate SAF Programme to the attention of our customers, specifically in this time of crisis. This is the ideal moment for KLM to pursue its ambition to become even more sustainable. The drastic reduction of our CO₂ footprint, with the aid of fleet modernisation, improved operational efficiency and SAF, plays an essential part in this ambition.”

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo SAF Programme
Since the start of the year, our cargo customers can also support the development and production of SAF thanks to the new Air France KLM Martinair Cargo SAF Programme. The first customers to join this programme was Kühne+Nagel, who have agreed to invest in SAF for all cargo kilometres traversed by their shipments on the Los Angeles-Amsterdam route.

“Fly Responsibly”
The KLM Corporate SAF Programme is perfectly in step with the “Fly Responsibly” initiative that KLM launched in 2019, with a view to leading the way towards a more sustainable future for air transport. KLM is striving to achieve this, among other things, by making all its products and processes more sustainable today and in the future. However, real progress can only be achieved if the entire industry gets involved. A key aspect of KLM’s “Fly Responsibly” initiative is to invite passengers to make use of its CO2ZERO CO₂ compensation programme, but also to invite businesses to join the KLM Corporate SAF Programme and cargo customers to join the Air France KLM Martinair Cargo SAF Programme for their airfreight shipments.