Air France and KLM raise prices for airline tickets with sustainable fuel

Since this year, France has been obligated to mix conventional fossil kerosene with at least 1 percent of sustainable fuels (sustainable aviation fuel or SAF). A roadmap has also been drawn up to reach 2% in 2025 and 5% in 2030.

There is no commitment in the Netherlands yet, but KLM and Transavia, which together with Air France make up the Air France-KLM group, will also use sustainable fuels as standard going forward. For example, KLM will add 0.5 percent SAF for flights departing from Amsterdam.

Carbon dioxide emissions for sustainable fuels are at least 75 percent lower than those of fossil kerosene, and according to KLM SAF, “in the short term is the most important way to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions” in aviation.

But sustainable fuel costs are “at least four times higher,” and that extra cost is passed on in tickets. “The increase in ticket prices ranges from one to twelve euros per ticket, depending on the class booked (economy / business) and the distance to be traveled,” a KLM press release said.

In addition, customers are given the option to purchase an additional amount of sustainable fuel in addition to the standard add-on. “Every euro donated voluntarily will be invested in the purchase of sustainable fuel,” Air France said.

Towards Zero Emissions in 2050

The aviation sector, which is responsible for 2.5 to 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, aims to be zero by 2050. It relies on non-fossil fuels for much of its emissions cuts. Not only is the high cost price a problem, but the production is also currently very low.

In Belgium, too, the focus is on sustainable fuels. For example, Brussels Airport recently announced its desire to build a mixing plant in the coming years where kerosene will be mixed with biofuels. This makes Brussels Airport the first in the world to do so locally. The airlines Brussels Airlines, TUI and DHL will be the first to use this biofuel.

Sustainable fuels are made, among other things, from used oils or residues from forests and agriculture, and there is also a synthetic SAF. In 2019, it represented less than 0.1 percent of the 360 ​​billion liters of fuel used by aviation that year.