Wizz Air has set a goal to power 10 per cent of flights with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from human waste by 2030.
The move follows the airline’s 2023 investment in UK-based renewable fuel producer Firefly, which has pioneered a new pathway to SAF using human sewage.
The budget carrier last April invested £5 million in Firefly as part of an agreement to supply 525,000 tonnes of SAF to its UK operations over the course of 15 years from 2028. Firefly is now looking to commercialise its novel SAF pathway with plans to construct a commercial-scale facility by 2029.
With a UK SAF mandate announcement seemingly imminent, the carrier said its new target will help boost SAF production as well as support its previously announced commitment to reduce its carbon emissions per passenger/km by 25 per cent by 2030.
Wizz Air corporate and ESG officer, Yvonne Moynihan, said: “Our investment in Firefly, which has the potential to reduce our lifecycle emissions by 100,000 tonnes CO2-eq per year, underscores our commitment to mainstream the use of SAF in our operations by 2030.
“However, achieving our aspiration requires a significant ramp-up of SAF production and deployment. Therefore, we call on policymakers to address barriers to SAF deployment at scale by incentivising production, providing price support, and embracing additional sustainable feedstocks for biofuel production.”
While the carrier’s SAF investment is not to sniffed at, Wizz has also recently expanded its operations across Europe.