Swiss becomes first airline to integrate solar fuel into flight operations.
Zurich/Kloten – In a symbolic gesture, Swiss International Air Lines has become the world’s first airline to use Zurich-based Synhelion's solar kerosene. The fuel came from a 190-liter barrel of solar crude produced at a German production facility and processed at a German refinery into certified Jet-A-1 aviation fuel.
Synthetic solar fuel produced by Zurich-based Synhelion has been used in civil aviation for the first time. According to a statement, Synhelion delivered its first 190-liter barrel of synthetic crude oil from its DAWN production facility at the German research center Forschungszentrum Jülich to a refinery in northern Germany. There, the oil produced using solar energy was processed into certified Jet-A-1 kerosene. It was then fed into Swiss International Air Lines' flight operations infrastructure via the fuel supply system at Hamburg Airport.
The amount of fuel delivered corresponds to approximately seven per cent of the fuel required for a flight from Hamburg to Zurich. Synhelion's co-CEO and co-Founder Philipp Furler described the delivery of this first barrel as a symbolic gesture. However, he said, “this milestone brings us one step closer to globally scaling up our solar fuel technology”. Its seamless integration into existing refinery processes is crucial to this, according to Synhelion.
Swiss has been serving as a strategic partner to Synhelion since 2020 to support the commercialization of solar fuel. The airline has also held a stake in Synhelion since 2022. “We have intentionally invested in a Swiss start-up,” Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger is quoted as saying. His company is reportedly “truly proud to be playing such a pioneering role, in partnership with Synhelion, in driving and developing this vital new technology for a more sustainable aviation sector.”
As a next step, Synhelion and Swiss are driving forward the sustainability certification of the production process and the fuel in accordance with the EU Renewable Energy Directive. This stipulates that sustainable synthetic fuels must have at least a 70 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. According to an independent assessment, the fuels from the DAWN production plant significantly exceed this target, writes Synhelion. The company is also preparing to start continuous commercial production with sufficient capacity in Spain in 2027. ce/mm
Source: swisstrade
https://swisstrade.com/news