British Airways has announced a partnership with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer LanzaJet. The airline says it aims to power part of its fleet with sustainable fuels by as early as 2022.

The deal between the British airliner and US start-up arrives as British Airways seek to hit their net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

The deal will involve a large investment in LanzaJet’s Freedom Pines Fuels facility in Georgia, USA.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ CEO, said that he hopes to bring SAF production closer to home,

“Following the successful start-up of the Georgia plant, we hope to then deploy the technology and SAF production capacity in the UK”

Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet CEO said,

“With the right support for waste-based fuels, the UK would be an ideal location for commercial scale LanzaJet plants.”

According to British Airways, LanzaJet’s SAF has a 70 per cent reduction in emissions than conventional fossil fuel-based jet fuels – the equivalent of removing 27,000 cars off the road each year.

The production of the SAF utilises LanzaJet’s ‘Alcohol to Jet Process’. This method converts a sustainable source of ethanol from agricultural residues into fuel capable of powering jet aircraft.

The planned switch to sustainable aviation fuel comes during a massive eco overhaul in the aviation industry. More airlines are expected to outline their plans for decarbonisation, during the recovery from COVID-19.

British airliner rivals, Virgin Atlantic, have previously used LanzaJet’s SAF to operate commercial flights on a Boeing 747.

The U.K. airliner’s new climate initiatives follow the recent appointment of Carrie Harris to the newly created Head of Sustainability position. The airline already has plans to construct a waste-to-fuel plant in Immingham, UK, as part of its existing partnership with sustainable fuel company Velocys.

Sean Doyle also added that:

“Progressing the development and commercial deployment of sustainable aviation fuel is crucial to decarbonising the aviation industry.”

2021 should see more initiatives from British Airways’ climate conscious-rebuild.

Words by Jonathan Ritchie