Repsol, a multi-energy company committed to leading the energy transition, today announced that it has begun supplying sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Atlas Air for use in all its flights with its customer Inditex from Zaragoza Airport (Spain). Beginning in November, Atlas Air is initially incorporating 5% SAF in all its flights.

The agreement makes New York-based Atlas Air the first cargo airline to use SAF regularly on its cargo flights in Spain, marking a new milestone in the airline sector. The initiative is in line with the companies’ commitments to achieve their respective carbon footprint reduction goals, and also positions them to comply with anticipated compliance measures included in the ReFuelEU Aviation regulations that require use of 2% renewable fuels in 2025, 6% in 2030 and 70% in 2050, respectively.

“With this agreement, we take another step in the decarbonization of aviation. We show that SAF is the future, but also the present. With the upcoming launch of our new advanced biofuels plant in Cartagena (Spain), we are ready to supply the sector with the SAF it needs to realize its decarbonization ambitions,” said Óliver Fernández, Director of International Aviation at Repsol.

“We are committed to contributing to the sustainability of the aviation sector and appreciate this opportunity to work with our valued partners at Inditex and Repsol,” said Richard Broekman, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability for Atlas Air Worldwide. “It is critical for our sector to work together in driving wider adoption and availability of SAF, which ultimately will have a positive impact on our industry and the environment.”

The agreement also aims to enhance local SAF production, both in terms of refinery capacity and in the sourcing of nearby raw materials, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector. Aena, responsible for the management of the Zaragoza Airport, participates proactively in the promotion and integration of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to promote their production and encourage their consumption.

Repsol is a pioneer in the manufacture of renewable fuels for all types of transport in Spain. It has been manufacturing biofuels in its industrial complexes for 25 years and already has more than 30 service stations in the Iberian Peninsula that supply 100% renewable fuels to its customers. Renewable fuels are an alternative now available for all transport segments and represent the main solution for aviation, maritime transport, and heavy road transport that do not currently have a viable alternative in electrification.

In the next weeks, Repsol will start up its first plant dedicated exclusively to the production of advanced biofuels in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the first plants of its kind in Europe at its industrial complex in Cartagena (Spain). Repsol has invested more than 200 million euros in the construction of the plant. It will have a production capacity of 250,000 tons of SAF and renewable diesel per year, produced from various types of residues, mainly used cooking oil and waste from the agri-food industry, and will reduce 900,000 tons of CO2 per year.

In 2022, total SAF production worldwide was 240,000 tons, according to the IATA. In 2025, approximately 120,000 tons will be needed in Spain to cover the 2% obligation of RefuelEU Aviation. Production of the new plant will be able to cover all the SAF demand in the Iberian Peninsula, complying with the obligation until the European mandate rises to 3%.