The Danish airline Alsie Express has launched a collaboration with Sønderborg Airport and Danfoss, among others, to introduce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into its operations. Flights between Sønderborg and Copenhagen (about 122 miles / 196 km / 106 nautical miles) have begun using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Alsie Express is the first operator of a domestic route in Denmark to use aviation fuel made from sustainably sourced, renewable waste and residue raw materials, helping to reduce the carbon emissions of its flights. Alsie Express has two almost new, matt black airplanes of the type ATR-72-500.

The SAF will be used in blended form and is made from sustainably sourced, renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form, SAF reduces CO₂ lifecycle emissions by up to 80% compared to fossil jet fuels.

So far, air traffic here in Denmark has primarily only been able to offer carbon offset arrangements in relation to emissions. However, with the introduction of sustainable jet fuel, we can target our efforts on reducing flight emissions. This initiative is a small but very important step in the right direction towards reducing CO₂ emissions from our flights.

—Dennis Rybatch, CEO Alsie Express

Sønderborg Airport services passengers from across southern Denmark, including business travelers. The Airport’s voluntary initiative has been brought about by its objective to reduce the carbon footprint of flights and at the same time lead the way for more sustainable domestic flights in Denmark.

According to Ulrik V. Brendstrup, DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark CEO, the Sønderborg Airport initiative sets a fine example for how air traffic in Denmark can start using SAF in the years to come.

We are pleased to work with Alsie Express and Sønderborg Airport to make flying more sustainable. These are small but important steps helping to place sustainable aviation fuel on the agenda in Denmark. While Power-to-Liquids and hydrogen offer exciting prospects for decarbonising aviation in the future, sustainable aviation fuel is a solution that is available today that can help reduce aviation emissions and initiatives like this can help scale demand for this crucial technology.

—Ulrik Brendstrup

The SAF is being supplied by DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark, the current supplier of jet fuel to Danish airports, as part of Shell Aviation’s SAF supply agreement with Neste, the producer.