British Airways and partners reach agreement to expedite SAF project

British Airways, LanzaJet and Nova Pangaea Technologies have struck an agreement to accelerate Project Speedbird, which aims to develop cost-effective sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for commercial use in the UK. IAG, the parent company of the British Airways, will now invest in the project to facilitate the next phase of development work for aviation decarbonisation. Created last year by the three companies, Project Speedbird targets annual production of 102m litres of SAF from sustainably sourced agricultural and wood waste.<br/>It received a grant of around GBP500,000 from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Green Fuels, Green Skies competition to fund the initial feasibility study for early-stage project development. An application has now been submitted for the DfT’s Advanced Fuels Fund grant for further funding to support continued development of the project. Construction work for the SAF production facility is expected to begin early next year in North East England, with delivery of the end product anticipated by 2026. Once operational, it will be the UK’s first facility to produce SAF using agricultural and wood waste.<br/>