The Belgian company Brussels Airlines is the first airline to have used it, for its flight SN3737 to Malaga. She bought two million liters of kerosene from the Finnish oil company Neste, a mixture with 38% sustainable fuel. Shortly after midnight, the biokerosene was transported from the Neste facility in Ghent (East Flanders) to the storage facility at Brussels Airport via the NATO pipeline.
The CEO of Brussels Airport, Arnaud Feist, spoke of “an important step” for the airport. “Providing sustainable fuels at the airport was a priority for us and we are happy to be able to achieve this already with the support of NATO.” The airport wants biokerosene to make up 5% of total imports by 2026. “The fact that our national carrier Brussels Airlines is already taking the lead with a first order from SAF is a good start.”
Brussels Airlines is also counting on biokerosene to “green” its consumption. “To achieve our climate goals, we will have to significantly increase the use of alternatives to fossil fuels in the years to come”, explains its CEO Peter Gerber. “Besides fleet renewal, sustainable fuel is the most effective instrument currently available to reduce air transport emissions.”
Together with the German owner group Lufthansa, the Belgian airline has been investing in the production and use of biokerosene for several years, explains Peter Gerber. “The fact that we can now also deliver fuel from the producer to Brussels Airport, quickly and in an environmentally friendly way, is an important step to increase the use of this type of fuel in the short term.” Meanwhile, Zaventem airport has abandoned plans to develop a large-scale blending facility for biokerosene itself.