Ryanair has announced plans for Neste to power approximately a third of its flights from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol with a 40% sustainable fuel (SAF) blend, cutting greenhouse gas emissions on those flights by over 60%.
The partnership has been agreed in support of Ryanair's efforts to decarbonise by 2050, and the budget airline has also partnered with Trinity College Dublin to open the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre.
The Irish carrier has to date invested $22bn in its "gamechanger" fleet of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which offer 4% more seats while increasing fuel and CO2 efficiency by 16% and reducing noise emissions by 40%.
Speaking at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Ryanair head of sustainability Thomas Fowler said: "We are delighted to announce this landmark deal with Neste which will see Ryanair uplift this new 40% SAF blend.
"SAF is a cornerstone of our Pathway to Net Zero by 2050 decarbonisation strategy and this new blend will power a third of Ryanair flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 60%.
In Association with
"We look forward to growing our partnership with Neste as we work toward achieving our goal of operating 12.5% of Ryanair flights with SAF by 2030.”
Jonathan Wood, Neste’s vice president of renewable aviation for Europe, said: “We’re excited to support Ryanair work towards its decarbonisation goals by supplying our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
"SAF is a key element in achieving aviation’s emission reduction goals. The aviation sector is now at a tipping point as demand increases, and policy proposals are on the table in the EU and UK to promote demand and supply of SAF.
"Neste is leading the transformation to SAF and investing as we speak to increase global SAF production capacity to 1.5m tonnes per annum 2023. It is great to see Ryanair as the first short haul carrier take our SAF at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and we look forward to our joint journey towards a more sustainable future.”
Elsewhere, Ryanair has also donated €60,000 to the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, bringing the total funds raised by Ryanair in aid of its longstanding charity partner to €600,000 to date.
Jack and Jill provides in-home nursing care and end-of-life support for over 400 young children with highly complex medical conditions across Ireland.
The donated funds, which come from purchases of Ryanair's in-flight scratch cards, will provide over 3,300 hours of specialist home nursing care for 400 children supported by Jack and Jill.
"Through our scratch card programme, Ryanair has contributed over €1.6m to charities across Europe and we want to say a special thank you to all our customers who purchased a charity scratch card on board a Ryanair flight, helping both Jack and Jill and a range of other deserving charities across Europe," said Dara Brady, Ryanair's director of marketing.
"We look forward to continue supporting even more charities throughout 2022 and beyond through our scratch card programme."
Jack & Jill CEO Carmel Doyle added: “We are so lucky to have Ryanair as our partner for so many years and this donation couldn’t come at a better time with more families than ever under our wing at Jack and Jill.
"It equates to a huge gift of time by supporting over 3,300 hours of specialist home nursing care that make life a little easier for our families.
"I want to thank Ryanair customers for buying the scratch cards and to thank Ryanair staff for selling them, with every mention of Jack and Jill reminding our families and nurses that they aren’t alone on their care journey and that other people care too.”
Photo: Pictured at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to announce their partnership to power flights with a 40% SAF blend were Ryanair’s Head of Sustainability, Steven Fitzgerald, and Neste’s vice president Europe, Renewable Aviation, Jonathan Wood.
