- The flight, which completed the Seville-Madrid route this morning, is the first of more than 16 that the airline will operate over the next few days using this type of fuel.
- Operated with an A321neo, one of Airbus’ most sustainable short and medium-haul aircraft, the flight was made with fuel made up of 4.5% SAF, an amount higher than the target set by the EU for the year 2025.
- This milestone was made possible thanks to Cepsa’s pioneering action whereby it will supply SAF to all its customers’ flights operating from Seville airport this week.
- Iberia Express has committed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and to operate a minimum of 10% of its flights with sustainably sourced fuels by 2030.
Iberia Express today operated its first flight with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a milestone made possible by Cepsa – the airline’s strategic partner – as part of its pioneering initiative to supply SAF to all flights operating from Seville Airport this week.
The Iberia Express flight, operated with an A321neo, one of Airbus’ most sustainable short- and medium-haul aircraft, completed the Seville-Madrid route this morning using fuel made up of 4.5% SAF, an amount higher than the 2% target set by the EU for 2025.
The improved fuel efficiency provided by the aircraft itself, together with the use of sustainable biofuel, has reduced the emission of 2.3 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere on this first flight with SAF.
This is the first of more than 16 flights to be operated by the airline over the next few days, from Seville, which will use this type of fuel produced at the Cepsa Energy Park in La Rábida (Huelva) from olive pits and other vegetable waste from the olive sector in Spain.
This initiative is in addition to the fact that last January, Iberia Express and Cepsa signed an agreement in which they undertook to promote and accelerate the large-scale decarbonization of air transport.
In the words of Daniel Lozano, Sustainability and Transformation Manager at Iberia Express, “today we are taking another step forward in our commitment to achieve zero net emissions by 2050 and to operate a minimum of 10% of our flights with fuels of sustainable origin by 2030”.
This initiative, promoted by Cepsa, is an example of the need for alliances between all players in the sector, as well as public-private collaboration, to advance in the ecological transition of aviation.
This is the first time that an airport in southern Europe has carried out a SAF supply of these characteristics and the presentation held this morning at Seville Airport, in which Iberia Express participated, was attended by representatives of Cepsa, Aena, Exolum, the Association of Airlines (ALA) and representatives of several airlines, as well as several personalities from public administrations, such as the Minister of Industrial Policy and Energy, Jorge Paradela, and the Mayor of Seville, Antonio Muñoz.
Source: Iberia Express (2022)