Saudi Arabian vertically integrated developer Red Sea Global (RSG) has introduced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Saudi Arabia for the first time, making it available at Red Sea International Airport in partnership with Irish airports group DAA International and Saudi lubricants and aviation fuels business Arabian Petroleum Supply Company.
SAF, designed to reduce aviation-related emissions, is blended with Jet A1 fuel following International Civil Aviation Organisation and International Air Transport Association guidelines. At the airport, the fuel blend consists of 35% SAF, cutting lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 35% per flight.
John Pagano, Group CEO of RSG, said, “By introducing SAF into the Kingdom, we are dramatically reducing our guests’ personal carbon footprints.”
The move aligns with Saudi Arabia’s wider ambitions to scale up SAF and to move to lower-carbon aviation alternatives as part of its Vision 2030 strategy – the country’s plan to diversify its economy and reduce oil dependence.
The country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has been working with international partners to advance the role of alternative fuels in the country’s aviation sector, while Saudi Aramco and other energy players are also assessing pathways for local SAF production.
RSG’s subsidiary airline, Fly Red Sea, will also exclusively use sustainable fuels, including SAF and lower-carbon aviation fuel, in its operations.
