Air France-KLM expands sustainable fuel offerings

Air France-KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) is allowing customers to choose the level of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for cargo shipments they book under the carrier’s new goSAF program. The goSAF feature, which launched from Oct. 18 through the carrier’s myCargo booking portal, offers four levels of SAF contribution to a freighter’s fuel mix for shipments: 2%, 5%, 20% and 100%, an AFKLMP Cargo spokesperson told Air Cargo World. The program also utilizes a CO2 emissions calculator, which determines the emissions of a shipment and calculates the cost of offsetting traditional jet kerosene with SAF, which typically costs twice as much, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The carrier guarantees a 75% reduction of carbon emissions with its SAF, and customers may choose a higher quality version of the fuel, which offers an 85% reduction in emissions, the spokesperson said. AFKLMP Cargo aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and goSAF is the latest development toward that goal — one that will not make the carrier any profit, according to an Oct. 18 release. Proceeds from the program will go toward the purchase of more SAF, the release stated. [caption id="attachment_70457" align="alignright" width="429"] Photo / KLM[/caption] “For this feature we did not go through an initial trial but went live with a ‘big bang,’” the spokesperson said. “We hope to engage our industry and our supply chain partners into a more sustainable direction by offering small amounts and on specific shipments.” See also: Seeing the forest for the trees: Carbon offsets and their place in airfreight logistics GoSAF is the latest step AFKLMP Cargo made to expand its SAF offerings and add larger amounts of the fuel to its planes. In 2020, the carrier launched a customer-oriented SAF program that allows forwarders and shippers to fuel their flights with a percentage of SAF. The program has since grown to 40 partners, according to the release. Earlier this year, the carrier began adding between 0.5% and 1% of SAF to all flights departing from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Schiphol Airport (AMS). SAF shortages SAF has emerged as a key solution to reduce carbon emissions in airfreight, with nearly every major carrier working on a SAF initiative to achieve net zero CO2 goals. In August, Lufthansa agreed to purchase 1.8 million tonnes of SAF from Shell over a seven-year period. In July, Bollore Logistics and United Airlines agreed to purchase 3 million liters of SAF, which will be provided by United. In June, Bollore also partnered with IAG Cargo to purchase 1 million liters of SAF created from waste feedstock. Other stakeholders with SAF initiatives in place include Cargolux, DHL, Air New Zealand, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines. While SAF continues to grow in popularity, production will need to be ramped up considerably to keep up with demand and drive costs down, according to a June release from IATA . Currently, 125 million liters of SAF are produced annually, and production will increase to roughly 5 billion liters by 2025. However, carriers will need about 449 billion liters by 2050, based on IATA projections. Despite the potential SAF shortage, AFKLMP Cargo sees goSAF as a “clear indication to the markets that SAF production needs to increase,” and the carrier does not see any potential for shortage of its own SAF reserves, the spokesperson said. Join Air Cargo World for our next webinar, “Dangerous goods in focus: Shoring up air cargo logistics,” on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. ET. Click here for more information and to register.

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