DHL Express purchases 2,400 tonnes of SAF from Cathay

DHL Express has purchased 2,400 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel from Cathay Group to be used on flights operated for DHL by Air Hong Kong, an all-cargo subsidiary of Cathay. Air Hong Kong will use the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on flights departing Seoul Incheon (ICN), Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Singapore Changi (SIN) airports, according to a recent release from DHL Express. This SAF will not be used on flights departing Hong Kong (HKG), Air Hong Kong’s main hub. [caption id="attachment_57291076" align="aligncenter" width="1919"] Cathay subsidiary Air Hong Kong operates fourteen DHL A330 freighters. (Courtesy/DHL)[/caption] “SAF production and adoption in Hong Kong are currently in a developmental and planning phase, but we also know that Hong Kong is laying the groundwork through policy reform, infrastructure readiness and multistakeholder collaboration,” Peter Bardens, DHL Express’ senior vice president for network operations and aviation in Asia Pacific, told Cargo Facts . Hong Kong’s government has said it intends to set an SAF usage target for carriers later this year. “With this deal, we hope to signal that there is demand and potentially see a faster push in SAF adoption locally,” Bardens said. The express carrier did not disclose the cost of the SAF. Air Hong Kong’s fleet DHL Express and Cathay Group expect this SAF purchase to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by about 7,190 tonnes, equivalent to the emissions of more than 100 flights from Hong Kong (HKG) to Singapore with an A330F, according to the release. Air Hong Kong’s fleet comprises ten A330-300P2Fs and four production A330-200Fs, all Trent 700-powered. The carrier completed its transition to a fleet of all A330 freighters after its last A300-600F, the 2004-vintage unit 856, departed Osaka (KIX) on June 23 and landed in Hong Kong (HKG) just after midnight on June 24. DHL assigned unit 856 to ASL Airlines Ireland to operate in July. The SAF purchase will bring the first SAF uplift on Air Hong Kong flights, according to the release. Express carrier boosts SAF use DHL Express purchased 7,400 tonnes of SAF from renewable fuel manufacturer Neste in Singapore in July. DHL Group has been purchasing SAF from Neste since 2020 and signed an agreement with the fuel producer in February to collaborate more closely on using SAF and renewable diesel for ground equipment. The express carrier also signed a deal with Japanese fuel refiner Cosmo Oil Marketing in January to purchase 7.2 million liters of SAF annually. DHL Express uses the SAF on flights leaving Japan, according to a company release. “DHL Express has made significant SAF purchases, including a seven-year contract with World Energy [in 2023] for 668 million liters, as well as previous agreements with Neste and BP totaling up to 800 million liters,” Bardens said. “However, production capacities for SAF are still limited. “Sustainable aviation fuel currently accounts for less than 1% of the total global jet fuel consumption, yet air transport is one of our biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.” Register here for Cargo Facts ’ upcoming free webinar, “Air cargo route networks: Strategies for improved results and greater efficiencies,” on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m. ET. Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today to take advantage of the early-bird rate before Sept. 5.

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