Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, today (28 Mar) announced that it has purchased 1,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from global energy group, Shell, (enough SAF to fuel over 200 flights from Stansted to Madrid), which will be supplied to the airline at its Stansted Airport base. This purchase follows the MoU agreement made between the companies in 2022, providing Ryanair with unique access to purchase up to 360,000 tonnes of SAF from Shell between 2025 and 2030, which could save up to 900,000 tonnes in CO₂ emissions¹.

Today’s announcement, as part of an event showcasing the tools Ryanair is using to decarbonise, demonstrates Ryanair’s continued commitment to achieve net zero by 2050. Ryanair has already significantly advanced its decarbonisation commitments through its work with Trinity College Dublin in the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre, and by investing heavily in new technology aircraft, including a $22bn investment in its ‘Gamechanger’ fleet, which reduce CO₂ emissions by 16%, and a further $40bn investment for 300 Boeing 737 MAX-10 aircraft which reduce CO₂ emissions by 20% and noise by 50% while carrying 21% more passengers.  

Speaking at Stansted Airport, Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability and Finance, Thomas Fowler said:  

“Ryanair continues to lead the way in sustainable aviation. As demonstrated today at Stansted, by using SAF, the latest engine technologies and electric ground handling equipment, we are making significant investments to decarbonise our operations and achieve our commitments of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and 25% less CO₂ emissions per passenger/km by 2031. Our partners at Shell and MAG are key enablers of these goals, and today’s announcement of Ryanair’s purchase of 1,000 tonnes of SAF from Shell is testament to that. We will continue to work with our partners across the network to make every Ryanair flight as environmentally efficient as possible.”  

  Shell’s GM Aviation Europe and South Africa, Ashleigh McDougall said: 

“Shell is delighted to have started supplying sustainable aviation fuel to Ryanair at Stansted Airport, helping a valued customer reduce emissions on flights from a crucial UK transport hub. Having signed a Memorandum of Understanding to supply SAF to Ryanair in 2022, we’re pleased to see intentions converted into actions as we continue to support our customers on their decarbonisation journeys.”  

¹ based on the lifecycle CO₂ emissions reduction from using neat SAF versus conventional jet being up to 80%