OMV and Austrian Airlines are taking off with Sustainable Aviation Fuel

For the first time ever, OMV and Austrian Airlines (AUA) are producing and using regional Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Austria. The two companies agreed on the production and fueling of 1,500 metric tons of SAF in the coming year 2022.

The sustainable fuel is produced at the OMV Schwechat Refinery by co-processing Austrian used cooking oil in the fuel production process. This approach makes the entire production chain as regional as possible and keeps transport routes to a minimum. Compared to conventional kerosene, SAF makes for a CO2 reduction of more than 80% over the entire lifecycle. One technical key advantage of the sustainable aviation fuel is that the existing infrastructure can be used for storage and refueling. With the direct pipeline connection to the Vienna International Airport, SAF will be available for fueling Austrian Airlines aircraft as of March 2022.

The use of 1,500 metric tons of SAF by Austrian Airlines will save around 3,750 metric tons of CO2. This compares to the CO2 emissions of 333 Vienna-London flights with a typical short to medium-haul AUA aircraft (Airbus A320). The additional costs for Sustainable Aviation Fuel are financed with the support of environmentally conscious passengers. All Austrian Airlines customers can use the Compensaid platform to support flights with SAF and thus contribute to more sustainable air traffic.

Alfred Stern, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of OMV Aktiengesellschaft: “Sustainable Aviation Fuels are a key technology for a lower-carbon aviation industry. They represent a readily available, easily applicable way of reducing emissions and are equivalent to conventional fuels in terms of quality and performance. We are very serious about our role in the energy transition and will continue to work on reducing the CO2 intensity of our portfolio in the future.”

Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of Austrian Airlines: “Air travel needs to become more climate friendly and sustainable fuels play the key role. We are proud to become the first Austrian airline to use these fuels in our flight operations - not only for climate protection, but also to strengthen Austria as a business location. I am pleased that we have taken the first step together with our partner OMV. Now, the task is to work with policymakers towards a location-based initiative to meet the EU blending mandates from 2025 onwards and hopefully even surpass them”.

The aviation industry is working intensively on cutting jet fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Lufthansa Group has pledged to halve its net CO2 emissions by 2030 and make its business CO2 neutral from 2050. Based on the strategic outlook for the aviation sector, OMV sees Sustainable Aviation Fuels as an important addition to its future jet fuel range alongside conventional kerosene. OMV is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and supports its customers in reducing theirs by offering more sustainable OMV products.

Background information:

OMV Aktiengesellschaft
OMV produces and markets oil and gas, as well as chemical products and solutions in a responsible way and develops innovative solutions for a circular economy. With Group sales revenues of EUR 17 bn and a workforce of around 25,000 employees in 2020 (incl. Borealis), OMV is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Exploration & Production, OMV has a strong base in Central and Eastern Europe as well as a balanced international portfolio, with Middle East & Africa, the North Sea, Russia and Asia-Pacific as core regions. Daily average production was 463,000 boe/d in 2020 with an emphasis on natural gas. In Refining & Marketing, OMV operates three refineries in Europe and owns a 15% share in ADNOC Refining and ADNOC Global Trading, with a total processing capacity of more than 500,000 bbl/d. Furthermore, OMV operates about 2,100 filling stations in ten European countries and runs gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany. In 2020, total natural gas sales volumes amounted to around 164 TWh. In Chemicals & Materials, OMV, together with its subsidiary Borealis, is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals, fertilizers and the mechanical recycling of plastics. The company supplies services and products to customers around the globe through Borealis and its two important joint ventures: Borouge (with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, or ADNOC, based in UAE) and Baystar™ (with Total, based in the US). Sustainability is an integral part of OMV’s corporate strategy. OMV supports the transition to a lower-carbon economy and has set measurable targets for reducing carbon intensity as well as for the implementation of new energy and petrochemical solutions.

Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is Austria's leading airline with a global route network of over 100 destinations. The Vienna Airport is located in the heart of Europe and is therefore the ideal starting point for travelling to around 40 destinations in Central and Eastern Europe. Austrian Airlines is part of the German Lufthansa Group, the biggest airline network in Europe and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global network of international airlines.