Air Europa will fly to Havana on Cepsa’s second-generation biofuels

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Cepsa and Air Europa have struck an alliance in which the airline’s energy company will supply 14.4 tonnes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for a year to cover the first monthly flight from Madrid to Havana. This is the first time that two companies in Spain have established a regular supply of this sustainable fuel for a specific flight route.

During the cooperation between Cepsa and Air Europa, the emission of about 50 tons of CO will be avoided₂this corresponds to the planting of 575 trees.

The trips, which will have a 2% SAF in the aircraft depots, serve as a test to anticipate the targets set by the European Union in its ReFuelEU Aviation legislative initiative, designed to promote sustainability in the aviation sector. There is currently no obligation to introduce SAF on flights, but this new regulation will oblige European airlines to use increasing amounts of sustainable fuel in the coming years: 2% in 2025, 6% in 2030 and 70% in 2050 .

Jesús Nuño de la Rosa, CEO of Air Europa, assures that “this agreement fulfills the commitments made in relation to sustainability, one of the cornerstones of the airline’s Strategic Plan 2023-2025”. By using this fuel on the route to Havana, it does so Company also visible its strategic role in the air link with America.”

Tobi Pardo, Cepsa’s Aviation Director, expressed his satisfaction with the conclusion of an agreement with these characteristics: “We strongly believe that this type of initiative is essential for the transition to greener aviation.” We are proud to be part of Air Europa to work together in their commitment to decarbonise aviation and to help Spain become a benchmark in sustainable tourism. We will continue to invest in innovative technologies that enable us to offer more efficient solutions to facilitate their energy transition and a cleaner and safer future for all.”

Cepsa produces this second generation (2G) biofuel at its La Rábida energy park in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) from organic waste and used cooking oils. Not only can these second-generation biofuels reduce aircraft emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional kerosene, they also promote the circular economy as they are made from waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.

As part of its Positive Motion strategy, with the goal of driving the decarbonization of aviation, Cepsa aims to lead the production of SAF in Spain and Portugal, with an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons in 2030, a sufficient amount of sustainable fuel, Enough to fly Flown over the planet 2000 times.

Within this framework, the company recently announced that it has started marketing SAF at Madrid, Barcelona, ​​​​​​Palma de Mallorca and Seville airports, through which more than 133 million passengers pass each year. This makes Cepsa the first company to permanently offer 2G biofuel for aviation at four of the main Spanish airports.

In order to ensure the supply of its customers with SAF, Cepsa will develop the largest second-generation biofuel plant in southern Europe together with Bio-Oils with an investment of up to 1,000 million euros. This plant, which will be operational in 2026 in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva), will have a flexible production capacity of 500,000 tons of SAF and renewable diesel.

For its part, applying this agreement, Air Europa is taking another step towards achieving its decarbonization goals through sustainable innovation, spearheading the regular use of SAF on its B787 Dreamliner fleet, one of the most efficient on the market, capable of reducing both Emissions and fuel consumption by 20%.