European airline Norwegian has purchased 140 metric tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in order to reduce carbon emissions on Denmark’s busiest route between Aalborg and Copenhagen.
The SAF will power the equivalent of 100 flights on the 45-minute non-stop service between Aalborg and Copenhagen for the next two weeks as part of the Danish government's goal to establish one “green” domestic route in the country by 2025.
The carrier said the initiative will reduce CO2 emissions on the route by up to 80 per cent, proving that reducing the footprint of Danish aviation “is already possible today”.
Norwegian CEO Geir Karlsen said: “There has long been a focus on how domestic aviation in Denmark can make use of more sustainable aviation fuel, both in the short and long term.
“Our initiative to fly the equivalent of 100 fossil-free flights within Denmark is a strong demonstration that this is possible within the existing infrastructure today. However, in order to make fossil-free flights common practice by 2025, the availability of fossil-free aviation fuel needs to increase drastically from the limited amounts of fuel available today,” he added.
Aalborg Airport will receive its first direct supply of SAF from DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark. The sustainable fuel will then be blended with conventional jet fuel, in accordance with current SAF blending rules, and stored in the airport’s central fuel infrastructure to be used by all aircraft accessing the airport’s fuel services.
Norwegian operates approximately 2,200 flights between Aalborg and Copenhagen over a 12-month period, consuming around 3,000 metric tons of aviation fuel. The carrier said this latest SAF initiative is another step towards its goal to reduce emissions by 45 per cent before 2030.
Earlier this year the carrier announced a partnership with SAF supplier Norsk e-Fuel to build the world’s first full-scale e-fuel plant in Mosjøen, Norway.