Swedavia Expands Joint SAF Procurement for 2025 Emissions Reduction

Swedish state-owned airport operator Swedavia AB (Swedavia) has expanded its annual joint procurement of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), securing 300 tonnes for 2025. The initiative is designed to aggregate demand from multiple organizations, making SAF more accessible and helping participants reduce the carbon footprint of their business travel. This move directly supports the decarbonization of aviation and aligns with increasingly stringent European and national environmental targets.

This joint purchase program, which Swedavia has conducted for its own business travel since 2016, allows corporations to invest in SAF to offset their emissions. For the 2025 procurement, Swedavia will use 215 tonnes for its own operations, with the remainder allocated to participating organizations including SOS Alarm, Aviator Airport Alliance, and Luleå Municipality. The program aims to address the primary barriers to SAF adoption—high cost and limited availability—by creating a consolidated market signal to fuel producers. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SAF can reduce lifecycle fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.

Initiative Details and Impact

The procurement provides a practical mechanism for companies to contribute to aviation's sustainability goals. Jonas Brundin, Managing Director at Aviator, stated that their investment in the program is expected to reduce their business travel emissions by approximately 50% in 2025. "This is a concrete way for us to contribute to more sustainable aviation," Brundin noted. Similarly, Carina Sammeli, Chair of the Municipal Executive Committee in Luleå, emphasized the importance of the collaboration. "Our geographical location makes us dependent on air travel, but we must also take responsibility for reducing its climate impact," she said.

Therese Forsström, Head of Sustainable Development at Swedavia, highlighted the program's significance in a press release. She stated that the joint procurement initiative demonstrates that it is already possible to significantly reduce aviation's fossil climate impact by choosing SAF. Beyond the direct emissions reductions, Swedavia operates an incentive program that reimburses airlines for up to 50% of the premium cost associated with using SAF, further accelerating adoption across the air transport ecosystem. More details are available in the official Swedavia Press Release on SAF Procurement.

Regulatory and National Context

Swedavia's efforts are situated within a firm regulatory framework aimed at phasing out fossil fuels in aviation. The ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative, a key European Union regulation, mandates a minimum SAF supply of 2% at EU airports starting in 2025. This blending mandate is set to increase progressively, reaching 70% by 2050, creating a predictable, long-term demand for renewable jet fuel. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) provides detailed information on these Sustainable Aviation Fuels regulations.

At a national level, Sweden has set ambitious targets for the aviation sector. The country's industry goal is to achieve fossil-free domestic aviation by 2030 and for all Swedish domestic and international flights to be fossil-free by 2045. These goals underscore the strategic importance of initiatives like Swedavia's joint procurement. The airport operator has already achieved a significant milestone, with its own airport operations being fully fossil-free since 2020.

The Broader Challenge of SAF Scaling

While SAF is widely recognized as a critical component for the industry's path to net-zero emissions, significant challenges remain. IATA estimates that SAF could contribute to around 65% of the emissions reduction needed for aviation to reach this goal by 2050. However, current global production of SAF represents only a small fraction of the total jet fuel consumed worldwide.

The primary hurdles are economic and logistical. According to Swedavia, SAF is currently several times more expensive than its fossil-based counterpart. Scaling up production to meet the mandated targets of the ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative and other national goals will require massive investment in new biorefineries, feedstock supply chains, and production technologies. Joint procurement models are seen as a vital tool to de-risk these investments by demonstrating committed and aggregated demand from corporate and public sector buyers.

Why This Matters

Swedavia's expanded SAF procurement serves as a key case study in demand aggregation for the aviation industry. It demonstrates a viable model for how airport operators can act as market catalysts, bridging the gap between corporate sustainability goals and the nascent SAF production sector. This approach not only helps individual companies reduce their travel-related emissions but also sends a strong, collective signal to fuel producers that a stable market exists, encouraging the investment needed to scale up production and eventually lower costs.

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