Airliner Virgin Australia to trial SAF blend

Market: Biofuels, Oil products
21/03/25

Airliner Virgin Australia-operated flights from Australia'sWhitsunday Coast airport will use a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend under a joint trial between the carrier and Australian refiner Viva Energy.

Virgin's jet aircraft will use a 30-40pc SAF blend between March and July. The aircraft travel to domestic airports from Proserpine town, a key tourism hub near Queensland state's Whitsunday coast. Both firms did not disclose further details, such as the total volume of SAF, at the time of publication.

"Partnership, focused policy development, and collaborations such as this with Viva will be essential if we are to adopt successfully SAF's broader use in Australia over the years and decades ahead," said Virgin's chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer Christian Bennett on 20 March.

Privately-held Virgin last September trialled SAF in its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, buying 160,000 litres from Indonesian state-owned refiner Pertamina for flights leaving the Indonesian island of Bali.

Unlike rival carrier Qantas, which has a target for 10pc SAF by 2030, Virgin has yet to specify a goal for its SAF use. But it has plans to re-enter the long-haul market from mid-year, using wet-leased aircraft from state-owned Qatar Airways, giving it access to airports with greater SAF supply.

Viva, the operator of Australia's largest refinery the 120,000 b/d Geelong facility, last month received A$2.4mn ($1.5mn) in state funding to recondition a fuel tank servicing Brisbane airport, to allow for blended SAF supply to jet aircraft.

Australia is yet to host any SAF refining capacity, but Canberra this month pledged A$250mn of its A$1.7bn Future Made in Australia innovation fund to low-carbon liquid fuels research and development, after its Labor government earlier promised A$33.5mn for a variety of projects to progress SAF development.

Australia ships about 500,000 t/yr of tallow worth about $500mn, a key feedstock for production of HVO and SAF. But uncertainty about the future of tax credits for biofuels in the US under president Donald Trump has seen prices pull back from recent highs.

By Tom Major

Australian tallow price ($/t)

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26/03/25

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UK eyes 80pc maritime emissions cuts by 2040

26/03/25

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26/03/25

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26/03/25

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