International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) purchasing agreement with e-SAF electrofuel producer Infinium, which plans to supply the UK market with power-to-liquid e-SAF from late 2026. Generated from a blend of water, waste CO2 and renewable energy, e-SAF is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by around 90% compared to today’s conventional jet fuel.

Under the terms of the 10-year agreement, Infinium will supply IAG with e-SAF to support any of its five airlines, namely Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling. Last year, these carriers used approximately 12% of the world’s SAF supply (according to IATA’s latest 2023 SAF production figures).

This agreement supports the scale-up of e-SAF, which is produced through a process that converts water, waste CO2 and renewable energy into fuel. This new class of fuel is not burdened by feedstock limitations, has a higher degree of emissions reduction than conventional jet fuel and has a relatively low water and land use footprint. It is also a “drop-in” replacement for aviation fuel that does not require modifications to existing aircraft engine designs.

Jonathon Counsell, Group Sustainability Officer at IAG, said: “We are on track to meet our 10% SAF target by 2030, and agreements with innovators like Infinium are key to achieving this. The aviation industry is working hard to decarbonise, and policy should focus on solutions like SAF, rather than just increasing costs that risk impacting the competitiveness of the European aviation sector. What the industry needs is further policy support to attract funding to build SAF plants and reduce aviation’s reliance on fossil fuels".

The e-SAF will be produced at Infinium’s Project Roadrunner facility, located in West Texas, USA.