Wizz Air will trial Sustainable Aviation Fuel with Airbus to comply with future EU mandates

Wizz Air has announced that it will begin using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in collaboration with Airbus. Wizz Air, the environmentally sustainable airline group of the year by the CAPA Centre, will be at the forefront of the EU’s forthcoming RefuelEU aviation regulations.

Commenting on the initiative, Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air’s Corporate and ESG Officer, said: “This cross-industry collaboration with Airbus is a demonstration of the commitment of the aviation community to reduce emissions intensity. It’s crucial for all actors in the aviation ecosystem to play their part and join forces to reach the industry goal of net zero by 2050. SAF is a key enabler and that is why Wizz Air supports this pioneering EU policy and has made significant strategic investments into SAF as a result.

This regulation is set to take effect in 2025, with this joint initiative showcasing Wizz Air’s ambition to decarbonise air travel to comply with the EU’s Destination 2050.

Why and how will Wizz Air use Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

As part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, the RefuelEU aviation regulation requires aviation fuel suppliers to ensure that all fuel made available at select EU airports contain a minimum share of SAF with increasing blends over time. It will also require airlines operating in the EU to refuel with 90% of fuel needs from those airports. With this project, Wizz Air is taking steps to incorporate SAF into its operations, on top of leveraging the fuel efficiency of the Airbus A321neo aircraft, testing the alignment with regulatory frameworks ahead of schedule and working to understand passengers’ awareness of SAF and surrounding policies.

The trial will involve flights across two major routes, Barcelona to Budapest (BCN-BUD) and Brussels Charleroi to Budapest (CRL-BUD), with SAF supplied by Cepsa and distributed by World Fuel Services, a World Kinect Company for each departure airport respectively and to be completed by the end of the year. The project will be conducted using the mass balancing method. Wizz Air will purchase up to 16 metric tons of pure SAF through an up to 5% SAF blend in the Barcelona-El Prat Airport and up to 18 metric tons of pure SAF through an up to 10% SAF blend in the Brussels Charleroi Airport.

Airbus will support Wizz Air in this trial, providing technical guidance and expertise to maximise the efficiency of SAF integration across operations. By proactively embracing SAF and laying the groundwork for the adoption of the new regulatory frameworks, Wizz Air is poised to deliver more carbon efficient air travel options for millions of European passengers.​​