H2V, Hy2gen and Vinci Airports have signed an agreement to study the methods of production and supply of synthetic sustainable aviation fuels, or e-SAF, by 2030 intended for commercial airlines operating at Lyon-Saint Exupéry, Lyon Bron and Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airports. In a second phase, this study will be extended to the Alpine airports operated by Vinci Airports (Grenoble, Annecy, and Chambéry).
Developed from low-carbon hydrogen, these e-SAFs will be produced on the site of the consortium formed between H2V and Hy2gen, under development in Fos-sur-Mer, France.
According to the life cycle analysis carried out during the pre-feasibility study e-SAFs reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 86% compared to kerosene. Their use does not require any modification of airport facilities or of the aircrafts’ propulsion systems.
This project is part of Vinci Airports' policy to act on the CO2 emissions of its clients and partners (Scope 3). At the same time, Vinci Airports has set itself the objective of achieving "zero net emissions" on its direct emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2030 in the European Union as well as in London Gatwick and Edinburgh.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) represent a short-term solution to decarbonise aviation and are an integral part of the ambitious environmental strategy pursued by Vinci Airports since 2016 to reduce its carbon footprint and engage its stakeholders in the same movement.
Anticipating the European ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, which imposes the progressive use of SAF, Vinci Airports has distributed SAF in France and Europe since 2021, and now offers them at its platforms at Toulon, Saint Nazaire, Clermont-Ferrand, Budapest and soon Annecy.
In addition to proposing the use of SAFs, Vinci Airports' main efforts to decarbonise the value chain in collaboration with its stakeholders include the carbon modulation of landing fees and the reduction of emissions from airport operations. The firm is also implementing measures to reduce emissions from airport operations, such as the use of electricity from renewable sources, the electrification of vehicle fleets, APU-off solutions (limiting the use of auxiliary power units), and more.
Guillaume Dubois, technical director of Vinci Airports, said: “This partnership once again demonstrates Vinci Airports' commitment to the decarbonisation of air transport, which we are fully implementing here on several platforms operated in France. We are pleased with this progress and remain committed to contributing, alongside industrial players, to developing less carbon-intensive aviation.”
