6 things to know about contributing to sustainable aviation fuel

1. How much is the contribution?

The amount of the contribution is predefined and based on the travel class, number of passengers and the length of the Finnair flights in your booking. The contribution is 3–15 euros per passenger per bound. For example, if one person flies from Helsinki to London in Economy Class, the contribution is 4 euros. If the booking has two persons flying from Helsinki to London and back, the contribution would be 16 euros.

We have chosen to tie the amount of contribution to the length of the flight, because longer flights also generate more CO2 emissions. Moreover, we have sought to set the amount at a level that allows as many people as possible to make this choice. However, if you wish to further support the use of sustainable aviation fuel, it is possible to do so through Finnair’s climate service.

2. What is the impact of my contribution?

With your contribution, we can increase our usage of SAF in our flight operations and, therefore, lessen our CO2 emissions. In 2023, we carried around 11 million passengers. If 1% of our customers each year contributed an average of 5 euros towards SAF, we could purchase around 480,000 litres of SAF. With this amount, we could fly our A350 aircraft from Helsinki to London 25 times. This volume of SAF would only cover about 0.04% of our annual fuel consumption—a very small part—yet it would still represent an additional voluntary climate action made possible by you.

Increasing the usage of SAF in aviation is crucial for the climate, since currently air travel is almost completely powered by fossil kerosene, which contributes to climate change. SAF is a renewable alternative to kerosene that can help reduce air travel’s dependency on fossil fuels. Unfortunately, just a very small part of the millions of tons of kerosene used by commercial airlines is SAF. The larger scale use of SAF in aviation is currently limited by price and availability. In 2023, only about 0.2% of Finnair’s total jet fuel consumption was SAF.

3. Am I paying for Finnair’s SAF usage?

No, we still pay for most of the SAF we use. With your voluntary contribution, we can buy more SAF that comes on top of all the SAF we purchase. This means that your contribution comes on top of the SAF quantities required by law and what we have voluntarily purchased. For example, beginning in 2025, the jet fuel that Finnair and other airlines refuel at major EU airports must contain at least 2% SAF. Customer contributions will not be used to cover the mandated SAF cost for Finnair.

In 2025, we aim to double our voluntary SAF purchases from 2024. Voluntary SAF comes on top of the regulatory-mandated SAF amounts. While voluntary SAF volumes are not game-changing yet, it is a concrete step in the right direction. By 2030, together with the oneworld alliance, we are aiming for a 10% level in SAF uptake.

4. What kind of SAF will you buy with my contribution?

SAF can be produced from various sources with different technologies. Currently, the majority of SAF produced globally is biofuels made from used cooking oil and animal fat waste, but several other production pathways and raw materials have been approved for use in producing SAF in the future.

The SAF we buy with customer contributions meets the criteria of the Refuel EU Aviation regulation. This means that the SAF will be biofuels produced from certain feedstocks, such as used cooking oil and animal fat, that meet the sustainability and GHG emissions criteria set by EU.

5. If I make a SAF contribution, will it reduce the CO2 emissions of my flight?

Your contribution does not reduce the CO2 emissions of your specific flight but increases the share of SAF of Finnair’s overall fuel consumption. SAF is not physically transported and fuelled to a specific aircraft or a flight. Instead, the SAF is blended with conventional jet fuel and piped into an airport’s shared fuel system. It can be then purchased and used according to a book and claim principle, a similar system that is used for the green electricity market.

6. Why should I contribute to SAF?

Making a SAF contribution is an easy way to help reduce the impact aviation has on the climate. Even though the impact of a single person’s contribution is small, it still represents an additional voluntary climate action made possible by you. With your contribution, you are also helping to demonstrate that there is a demand for sustainable aviation fuel. This in turn helps to increase production capacity, which is important for improving the availability of SAF.