'We’re pulling every lever available to us': Air NZ splashes out on green fuel, but admits there's still a long way to go

Air New Zealand has made its biggest ever purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), buying 30m litres. It will be used on flights across the Pacific from San Francisco and Los Angeles. SAF is made from raw materials such as animal fat waste and used cooking oil and is mixed with conventional jet fuel to create the overall fuel mix that powers an aircraft. However, SAF will only make up 1.6% of the airline’s total fuel supply and Air New Zealand's chief sustainability officer, Kiri Hannifin, admits more needs to be done. “1.6% is still a very small proportion of our total fuel use, but it’s four times more than we carried last year, so I am thrilled with the trajectory,” said Hannifin. “Like all airlines, we urgently need to move away from our high reliance on fossil fuels as quickly as we can. Securing year-on-year higher volumes of SAF is critical.” The national carrier hopes to be using 10% SAF by 2030. “We’ve invested in two feasibility studies to understand if New Zealand production from feedstocks like woody biomass could become a reality and we are delighted that it can be. We’re pulling every lever available to us because sitting on our hands is not an option. The climate crisis is worsening, and we are responsible for changing the course of action to protect our natural environment for future generations”.<br/>