The DHL Group announced a significant expansion of its partnership with IAG Cargo concerning sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A new five-year agreement, coupled with a renewal from 2025, facilitates approximately 240 million liters of SAF uplifted at London Heathrow Airport, aiming to reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with DHL Express cargo transported via British Airways flights.
This partnership is expected to lower lifecycle emissions by about 640,000 tonnes of CO2e annually, with the potential to exceed one million tonnes when combined with DHL Global Forwarding's framework agreement. The SAF used is certified by ISCC, derived from sources such as used cooking oil, and achieves roughly 90% reductions in lifecycle greenhouse gases compared to conventional jet fuel. DHL intends to increase SAF use to 30% of its air transport fuel share by 2030, underpinning its broader sustainability goals.
Industry Collaboration and Future Goals
The collaboration underscores the importance of stable SAF access to support the industry’s decarbonization efforts. DHL's EVP of Global Network Operations & Aviation, Travis Cobb, highlighted the value of cross-sector partnerships in achieving tangible emissions reductions. Meanwhile, Camilo Garcia Cervera of IAG Cargo emphasized partnerships as critical to scaling SAF usage and delivering sustainable air freight solutions.
The SAF agreements support DHL's strategic ambition to provide more environmentally friendly logistics options and meet growing market demand for emissions reduction services. Despite current challenges such as high costs, the initiative represents a key step toward broader adoption of sustainable fuels in aviation, aligning with the EU’s ReFuelEU regulations aimed at increasing SAF use across European airports.
