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TFS Fuel Services Begins Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Supply at Istanbul Airport

TFS Fuel Services has taken an important step in the sustainability of aviation fuels and started to supply Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to Turkish Airlines’ aircraft that will fly to Paris, the capital of France.

TFS Akaryakıt Hizmetleri A.Ş. has added a new one to the steps it has taken within the scope of sustainability with SAF replenishment to aircraft. In this context, SAF replenishment of the aircraft that will carry out THY’s – Paris flights has started. The first step was taken at Istanbul Airport regarding the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which gained importance within the framework of the carbon-neutral growth perspective defined by the CORSIA approach developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as of 2020. TFS’s existing refueling infrastructure is capable of providing SAF-containing refueling to all airlines.

Green Aviation’s Rising Star

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), also called Biofuel, Biojet or bio-aviation fuel, is known as biomass-derived fuels obtained from plants or waste.

The production of SAF, which is based on the recycling of carbon from sustainable biomass or gases rather than using fossil fuels, is crucial for aviation companies and authorities to achieve the aggressive targets they have announced to reduce carbon emissions. The global sustainable aviation fuel market, which is around $ 70 million by 2020, is expected to reach $ 7-10 billion by 2030.

Next Step: SAF Production in Turkey

Supplied with support from Finnish company Neste, SAF is blended with conventional jet fuel in TFS’s fuel farm and replenished to aircraft. At this point, the creation of an integrated Sustainable Aviation Fuel production facility in Turkey, which is included in TFS’s strategic plans, is already in the project phase. Preliminary studies are being carried out with a Japan-based company for the project.

Preparing for the Green Aviation era, the company’s efforts also reinforce THY’s position as the leading global aviation company. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of THY, said, “Many international institutions, especially the European Commission and the International Civil Aviation Organization, are increasingly approaching aviation from the perspective of climate-neutral policies. This is actually a point where the environmental issue brings us. Companies are more successful if they make these improvements and environmentally friendly practices not out of necessity but by making them an extension of the company culture and internalizing them. As THY, we want to make SAF blending application a standard practice for the jet fuels we use. We are taking the first step with our flights to Paris. In the medium term, our goal is to fly using the SAF, which we will produce as a stakeholder in Turkey.”

Turkey’s Global Power in Aviation Fuels TFS

TFS Akaryakıt Hizmetleri A.Ş. continues to be Turkey’s memory and strength in the field of aviation fuels with its refueling operation and capacity at Istanbul Airport, which is the global hub.

TFS, which carries out the best practices of the sector in order to strengthen this position and increase the competitiveness of both THY and İGA Istanbul Airport, is also making ambitious moves in the production and supply of sustainable aviation fuels.

The company, which started feasibility studies on SAF production in Turkey, established a working group consisting of authoritative scientists in the field to carry out these studies. The group, which predicts that waste-generated jet fuel technology will be commercialized by 2030, has also examined newer technologies such as plasma gasification technology. In the future, work is also underway to establish another SAF production facility with a processing capacity of 1 tonne of biomass/day with this technology infrastructure.

TFS General Manager Hüseyin Hilmi Aslanoğlu said, “For TFS, sustainable aviation fuels are a strategic priority. Differentiating ourselves in the sector and strengthening our competitive side by adapting to new trends without delay is indispensable to achieve our regional and global goals. We manage a logistics process that outweighs the technical aspect. It is crucial to deepen our expertise and transform our business beyond a simple supply into a value-added and differentiating model. Sustainability is therefore a key concept for us. We make being both environmentally and financially sustainable the main axis of our entire operation. SAF production is one of the important outputs of this perspective.”

Electric Jet Fuel Supply Fleet Converted by Domestic Know-How

TFS, which continues to increase its environmentally sensitive practices outside of SAF supply and replenishment, has signed a first in the world by having the jet fuel supply vehicles it uses on the apron manufactured electrically with a project developed together with its domestic stakeholders within the scope of the jet fuel supply service it carries out at Istanbul Airport. TFS, which converted 50 jet fuel supply vehicles supplied within the scope of the project into electric, realized 5 thousand 385 tons less carbon emissions in this way.

In the transformation of electric vehicles, Önderyol and Katmerciler companies from Turkey played a role as responsible stakeholders. The project is a first among global jet fuel companies and was shared with members at the IATA Technical Forum. Thanks to the project realized, know-how in the field of industrial electric vehicle transformation in Turkey has been acquired and has contributed to the reduction of environmental and noise pollution and energy consumption. With this project, TFS has realized an exemplary project in the electrification processes of industrial vehicles in Turkey.

TFS Green for the Environment

TFS Management, who stated that they will continue to increase environmentally sensitive practices and that this project is only the beginning, stated that approximately 6 million m3 of fuel has been delivered in more than 400 thousand replenishments with electric dispensaries since April 2019. Among all replenishments, the rate of replenishments with electric dispensaries was 97 percent. With the project;