Swedavia first in the world to have green flights for all its official business travel

Beginning in 2016, all flights for official business purposes at Swedavia will be powered by renewable aviation fuel.
“With this decision, we are taking an important step in our environmental work, while showing that renewable aviation fuel belongs to the future,” says Torborg Chetkovich, president and chief executive of Swedavia.

Air travel has continuously reduced its carbon dioxide emissions. In the past forty years, emissions per passenger-kilometre have decreased 70 per cent. Today emissions from air travel make up about 2 per cent of total global carbon dioxide emissions. One essential condition required for the continued reduction in emissions is the large-scale introduction of renewable aviation fuel, which is also a major step toward fossil-free domestic air travel in Sweden. So Swedavia has taken the decision to require all flights for business purposes at the company to be powered by renewable aviation fuel beginning in 2016.

“The technology already exists. Now it is time to act. Through our active conversion work, Swedavia shows decision-makers, companies and producers that there is a market for renewable aviation fuel to which large-scale Swedish production can be linked,” Ms Chetkovich notes.

Swedavia makes about 15,000 flights on official business each year. This decision, an investment of SEK 10 M per year, means a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 1,100 tonnes. There is already infrastructure in place today in the form of fuelling facilities as well as aircraft engines that is adapted to the fuel of the future, but long-term conditions are needed for large-scale production of renewable aviation fuel to meet this goal.

With the investment, the demand for renewable aviation fuel will increase, which improves the conditions needed for large-scale production of renewable aviation fuel, for instance, from forest waste in Sweden. As a result, the price difference between renewable and fossil jet fuel will be reduced.

Swedavia has already taken significant steps to achieve the company’s target of zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions from its own operations. With the help of investments in measures such as the recent development of biogas-powered snow removal equipment, emissions have been reduced faster than originally planned. Swedavia’s other sustainability targets concern satisfied customers, return on operating capital and satisfied employees. Together with the zero target for fossil carbon dioxide emissions by 2020, these targets move the company in the direction toward long-term sustainable airports.

Swedavia is working actively to support aviation's conversion to renewable fuels, for example as an important partner in the Nordic cooperation Fly Green Fund.