NEW YORK / Sept. 27, 2022 / AVIATION NEWS – WestJet yesterday operated the airline’s second ever sustainable aviation fuel flight with the departure of WestJet flight WS1681 out of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to YYC Calgary International Airport.
The departure of WS1681 coincided with the end of New York’s UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC where world leaders gathered to discuss critical issues facing our environment, including the need to decarbonize and reduce global emissions.
“Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) holds enormous potential to decarbonize aviation and WestJet is committed to furthering our investments in this space to reduce our environmental footprint for years to come,” said Gareth Lewis, director of sustainability & ESG, WestJet. “Today’s SAF flight highlights our commitment and continued efforts to advance SAF as the low carbon fuel standard for aviation and help educate our passengers and stakeholders about its benefits.”
WestJet purchased 4,500 gallons of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation FuelTM from Avfuel Corporation for the September 26 flight, providing an approximate 11 metric ton reduction in carbon emissions over the fuel’s lifecycle. SAF is the most effective way to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel and Neste MY SAF can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80%* compared to fossil jet fuel when used in its neat form. Neste MY SAF is made from 100% sustainably sourced, renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. The SAF can be blended in with conventional jet fuel to meet all certification and safety requirements, making it an ideal solution to reduce GHGs from air travel, while requiring no new investments in aircraft engines, fuel infrastructure or distribution processes. The partnership between Neste, the world’s largest SAF producer, and Avfuel made the SAF flight possible.
“We are thankful to both companies for bringing the Avfuel team in to help facilitate this milestone transaction,” said Keith Sawyer, Avfuel’s manager of alternative fuels. “It’s a testament to WestJet’s commitment to environmentally responsible operations, and indicative of Avfuel and Neste’s reach for facilitating sustainable operations together.”
As WestJet furthers efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the airline is committed to growing responsibly and encouraging a SAF ecosystem to increase production in North America. SAF is a major pillar of WestJet’s ESG strategy, and is a key component in the roadmap to decarbonize aviation and provide lower emission flights for its guests.
Along with yesterday’s SAF flight, WestJet has focused on a number of sustainability initiatives, including operating one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient aircraft fleets in North America; investing in fuel-efficient aircraft engines and blended winglet technology; using advanced RNP approach software technology to make efficient aircraft landing approaches, and implementing gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards at its corporate head office.
Those interested in learning more about sustainable aviation fuel are encouraged to visit Avfuel.com/SAF or contact Keith Sawyer, manager of alternative fuels, at [email protected] for more information.
*Calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology.
ABOUT WESTJET
In 26 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
ABOUT AVFUEL CORPORATION
Avfuel provides fuel and services—including sustainable fuel and initiatives—to the global aviation industry and is the leading independent supplier in the United States. Established as a supply and logistics company nearly 50 years ago, Avfuel is core competent in every aspect that surrounds the delivery of fuel—from refinery to wingtip. Avfuel combines global access with personalized service throughout a fueling network of more than 3,000 locations worldwide and 650+ Avfuel-branded FBOs. Our 100% dedication to aviation demonstrates our passion and commitment to a global community that prospers on the movement of goods and services around the world.
NESTE IN BRIEF
Neste (NESTE, Nasdaq Helsinki) creates solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy. We refine waste, residues and innovative raw materials into renewable fuels and sustainable feedstock for plastics and other materials. We are the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel and developing chemical recycling to combat the plastic waste challenge. We aim at helping customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with our renewable and circular solutions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030. Our ambition is to make the Porvoo oil refinery in Finland the most sustainable refinery in Europe by 2030. We are introducing renewable and recycled raw materials such as liquefied waste plastic as refinery raw materials. We have committed to reaching carbon-neutral production by 2035, and we will reduce the carbon emission intensity of sold products by 50% by 2040. We also have set high standards for biodiversity, human rights and supply chain. We have consistently been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable companies. In 2021, Neste’s revenue stood at EUR 15.1 billion. Read more: neste.com
Contacts:
Avfuel Corporation: Marci Ammerman, Vice President Marketing, 734-663-6466, [email protected], www.avfuel.com, facebook.com/avfuel, Twitter: @Avfuel
WestJet: Media Relations, [email protected]
Neste: Please contact Neste’s media service, tel. +358 800 94025 / [email protected] (weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. EET). www.neste.com, Twitter: @NesteGlobal; @Neste_NA