Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is an alternative to fossil-based jet fuel. It can be produced from biomass (used oils, agriculture and forest waste, municipal solid waste, etc) or from wind and solar power (synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels or Power-to-Liquid, PtL).
SAF has great potential to reduce emissions (by up to 80%) and is considered essential for the energy transition in aviation, especially while hydrogen technology does not reach a sufficient level of maturity. Fuel suppliers and aircraft operators are legally required to scale up SAF in upcoming years. According to the last update on the European Union’s ‘Fit for 55’ legislation, the fuel supplied at European airports will have to contain a minimum of 2% SAF by 2025 and 70% by 2050. Also, airlines will not be allowed to load their aircrafts with more fuel than needed for their next route. This technique is often used to take advantage of better prices in different locations, hence it could be used to avoid buying SAF at EU airports.
SAF can be used as a so-called ‘drop-in fuel’ since its characteristics are almost identical to the ones of conventional fuel. However, for safety reasons, commercial flights are not yet allowed to run entirely on SAF (with the maximum being a blend of 50% SAF with 50% conventional Jet-A1 fuel). No changes in the airport infrastructure or on the airplanes are required. Still, airports may choose to do so for tracking and transparency reasons.
Overall, infrastructure needs to be scaled up (e.g. renewables and direct air capture) before PtL (Power to Liquid) is widely available and in the meantime there is not enough feedstock available to meet the demand through biomass alone. Also, the technology used for production and the way different supply chains operate are fairly new, thus the balance between cost, time and resources is not fully optimised yet. Therefore, the availability of SAF today is still very limited which has a big influence on its price. This makes SAF around 3 to 6 times more expensive than common jet fuel.
We are working with airlines and SAF producers to accelerate SAF scale-up. Our ultimate goal is to make it accessible to all our clients, by providing various solutions that can be tailored to each client’s budget, route or branding needs.
By booking with PRO SKY, you can either pay for SAF to be used directly or you can support SAF production. Be aware that in the first case, SAF is not necessarily used in your flight. Instead, it can be fed into the fuel system of an airport near the SAF production facility to avoid needless emissions from transportation. This is called the Book and Claim model and you can prove to be responsible for the reduction of those emissions through a certificate.
If you wish to buy SAF to be used during a flight, ask your Project Manager to request it to the airlines considered in your next group flight. If you wish to support the Fairfuel production plant of Atmosfair, here is their website.
When it comes to mitigating our environmental impact, one should follow this order: Avoid, Reduce, Compensate. And it is common knowledge that one of the most promising alternatives to flying lies within the rail network, particularly for short-haul flights.
Recent years have witnessed substantial progress, with train companies developing new high-speed routes, introducing new operators, enhancing reliability, and improving efficiency.
Increasingly, passengers are turning toward mixed-mode transport in a bid to minimise the carbon impact of their journeys. PRO SKY offers our customers the opportunity to combine flights with rail or other transport options where possible. This can either be translated into train tickets that transport passengers to and from the airport or, the total or partial replacement of the journey by rail.
Currently, efforts are underway to optimize train infrastructure and capacities, addressing challenges related to speed, border crossings, ticketing systems, and pricing.
The ultimate objective is to create a transportation system that seamlessly integrates trains and planes without intermodal constraints. Explore how PRO SKY, as an aviation company, contributes to this movement.
At the moment, we have partnerships established with train companies in Germany and France, but we still have a long way to go – especially for international routes – if we wish to reduce short-haul flights whenever land transportation proves to be a better alternative.
This will help us to not only protect ourselves from the future regulatory environment, but also to explore new business streams that are more closely connected to other players in the market and, most of all, to the everchanging demand of our clients.
Is your company or organisation reluctant about the emissions associated with flying? Please ask your PRO SKY Project Manager about your train options. Thanks to our Rail to MICE service, you can travel with Deutsche Bahn AG in Germany and SNCF Connect in France. But we can also arrange intermodal tickets if the airline provides such service.
Through Group Flight Customisation, PRO SKY can provide personalised project assistance during your entire journey and our airport and inflight services allow guests to experience their event before they leave the airport. Whether you already have clear requirements or need support to explore new solutions for sustainable customisation, we will create the right plan for you.
At the airport, we can provide services that range from a gate-buffet and luggage tagging to flowers and red carpet at the check-in. The on-board services may include branded headrest covers and, of course, food (including all the catering equipment that comes with it). However you choose to customise your flight, it is about the details: locally sourced, natural fabrics and dyes, no single-use plastics. Sustainable diets, for example – vegetarian, vegan, seasonal – can help the environment as much as it helps you connect to your passengers’ needs and beliefs.
PRO SKY is committed to work alongside you to find the best suppliers, materials and foods available for your group travel.
Your project manager will offer you the best matching customisation solutions based on your routing and requirements. Our Flight Customisation Team are experts in making your flight run smoothly and they might even develop new services if requested.
Compensation of emissions, also known as carbon offsetting, is a practice aimed at counterbalancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by investing in projects that either reduce or capture GHG from the atmosphere.
These projects can be classified as one of the following:
Carbon offsetting is a valuable tool in the fight against climate change. , but it should be considered a complement to, rather than a substitute for, direct reduction of emissions.
Atmosfair has been a PRO SKY partner since 2015. They are a German non-profit organisation that contributes to CO2 mitigation by promoting, developing and financing renewable energies in over 15 countries worldwide.
Atmosfair offers not only the possibility of compensating your emissions, but also the possibility to support production of quality synthetic SAF. To calculate your flight’s emissions, contribute to carbon offset projects and invest in SAF production, visit their website.
Atmosfair offers high-quality Gold Standard projects. You can find an overview below, but we encourage you to check their wesbite to know more about each project.
To reduce the impact of your trip by supporting these carbon projects, visit their website.
As ESG* and CSR* policies gain traction among our clients, transparency is crucial when selecting a travel partner. With PRO SKY, you can access trip emissions reports and use it to benefit your business and the planet, namely to:
*ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance
*CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility
Maintaining a strong company culture and engaged employees can be challenging when they are not fully aware of your sustainability accomplishments. Misinformation may even lead to unfair criticism of your ongoing actions.
To address this, consider non-intrusive, yet impactful communication with all passengers while they travel. PRO SKY offers customisation of airport and on-board branded materials to highlight your key achievements and challenges.
When discussing the details of your booking with your Project Manager, please inform them about your need to access your trip’s emissions data or that you wish to share your own information with the passengers through materials.
Do you have futher questions or would like to get more information? Do not hesitate to send us message, our Team will answer you.