Air France-KLM and TotalEnergies sign memorandum of understanding to supply sustainable aviation fuel for 10 years 

Air France-KLM and TotalEnergies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see TotalEnergies deliver more than one million cubic metres or 800,000 tonnes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to Air France-KLM Group airlines over a 10-year period, starting in 2023.

This SAF will be produced by TotalEnergies at its biorefineries and will be made available to the Air France-KLM Group’s airlines, mainly for flights departing from France (in accordance with French legislation) and the Netherlands.

SAF fuels reduce CO2 emissions by an average of at least 80% over their entire lifecycle, compared to their fossil equivalent.

Air France-KLM has implemented a strict sourcing policy and is committed to procuring only SAF fuels that do not compete with human food or animal feed, that are RSB[i] or ISCC[ii] certified for sustainability, and that are not derived from palm oil.

With the signing of this MoU, Air France-KLM and TotalEnergies confirm their collaboration and their goal of furthering the development of a more responsible aviation sector.

A long-standing partnership in support of the aviation sector’s decarbonisation

The Air France-KLM Group and TotalEnergies have been collaborating on the use of sustainable aviation fuel for nearly 10 years. Their partnership began in 2014 with “Lab Line for the Future,” a two-year experiment during which 78 Air France flights between Paris-Orly and Toulouse, and between Paris-Orly and Nice were fuelled with 10% SAF supplied by TotalEnergies.

In January 2020, Air France and TotalEnergies participated, alongside Safran and Suez, in the Call for Expression of Interest initiated by the French government with the aim of developing sustainable aviation fuel production in France.

Over the last two years, TotalEnergies has also supplied SAF for a number of Air France-KLM Group’s commercial flights:

• In May 2021, the first Air France long-haul flight, between Paris and Montreal, powered with a blend that included 16% SAF produced in France;
• In October 2021, an Air France flight between Paris and Nice was powered with 30% SAF;
• In May 2022, an Air France flight operated as part of the SkyTeam Sustainable Flight Challenge, between Paris and Montreal, with 16% SAF;
• In June 2022, several flights, planned by all of the Air France-KLM Group’s airlines as part of the Connecting Europe Days, were powered with 30% SAF.

“Air France-KLM is fully committed to advancing SAF production in Europe and around the world. This Memorandum of Understanding with TotalEnergies is another building block to further the development of a French SAF industry that can meet the airlines’ needs. This, therefore, marks a fundamental milestone in the successful decarbonisation of our business. We are continuing to step up our efforts to reduce the impact of our operations as quickly as possible,” said Benjamin Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Air France-KLM.

“Biofuel development is one of our Company’s strategic priorities. This new partnership with Air France-KLM exemplifies the excellence of industry and French aerospace in committing to a more sustainable aviation sector. By directly reducing the carbon intensity of the energy products used by our air transport customers, we are actively working with them to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, together with society,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.

TotalEnergies and sustainable aviation fuels

TotalEnergies is developing sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). These are biofuels made from waste and residue sourced from the circular economy (animal fat, used cooking oil, etc.) and “e-jets”, synthetic fuels for aviation. These sustainable aviation fuels will significantly reduce CO2 emissions from air transport. TotalEnergies aims to produce 1.5 million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.

TotalEnergies and aviation

With nearly 280 airlines supplied at more than 300 airports worldwide, TotalEnergies is one of the leaders in aviation refuelling in France, Europe and Africa. The Company offers a comprehensive range of products (SAF, Jet A-1, Avgas) and services to meet the needs of each of its customers: business and leisure aviation, the aerospace industry, airports, airlines, etc.