Weiss urges faster decisions on SAF Ian Taylor
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss hit out at the government over its failure to stimulate investment in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) when he addressed the Airlines 2022 conference in London on Monday. The Virgin Atlantic boss told
aviation industry leaders: “By the end of this year there won’t be a final investment decision on a single SAF plant in the UK.” He urged the government “to
invest in SAF” with direct funding and loans, arguing: “We need investment in a SAF-driven roadmap for decades to come. SAF can reduce aviation CO2 by up to 40%, but
there are barriers to its production. The government set an ambitious SAF target of 10% by 2030 but investors and manufacturers still await the details. “The £165 million in government
funds has yet to be allocated. “The SAF mandate requires
40 billion gallons [be produced] globally by 2030, a scale up of 100 times. We must accept this will take huge investment.” Weiss warned: “The UK is falling
behind other countries. “The US set a target of producing
three billion gallons of SAF by 2030 and paved the way for $400 billion in investment. It will ensure US companies corner the market. “Virgin Atlantic is involved in
Clia praises green methanol plan for new Disney ship
Harry Kemble
Clia Europe has hailed Disney Cruise Line’s decision to power its new ship using green methanol as an “exciting development”. Marie-Caroline Laurent, Clia
Europe director general, described green methanol as a “promising” fuel type that had “great potential”, along with other renewable fuels. Green methanol is a biogas that
could potentially replace liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the cleanest fuel available to cruise lines at scale. By 2028, 32 of Clia members’ 279 vessels will be powered by LNG.
4 24 NOVEMBER 2022 Disney Cruise Line said it expects
recently-acquired Global Dream to be among the first cruise ships to use low-emission green methanol when it launches in 2025. The line will work with the
Meyer Werft shipbuilding firm in Germany to finish constructing the partially-built vessel, which was left uncompleted following the failure of Genting Hong Kong this year. Disney is also expected to rename the ship. On Disney’s fuel decision,
Laurent said: “It is an exciting development that shows the variety of the solutions available for the rapid decarbonisation of our industry.
long-term deals on SAF in the US. Our investment is creating jobs but not in the UK. By 2025 most of our SAF will come from abroad.” He insisted: “The government
E
supports energy transition but seemingly not for aviation. It needs to think about SAF as it does offshore wind and nuclear.” Weiss also told the conference: “I’m calling on every airline to
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invest in the youngest fleet. We welcome hydrogen and electric [propulsion] but they won’t be fit for long-haul in the next 30, 40 years. To think a long-haul aircraft can be fuelled by technologies that don’t exist isn’t realistic.” Aviation minister Baroness Vere
said the government aims to have five SAF plants in production by 2025 and insisted: “We will invest £165 million in SAF.” Airbus UK head of public affairs
Oriel Petry dismissed the idea that the government would use aviation taxes to finance SAF, saying: “You’re not going to convince the Treasury to ringfence tax. It’s not how the
Treasury does its books.” i Airlines 2022: Business, back page
Artist’s impression of Disney’s new ship
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“This shows cruise companies are
ready and are making investments today, not in 30 years’ time.” However, Laurent added: “We
need to continue working with regulators and ports to secure the supply of these fuels to the cruise lines. “The good thing about methanol
is that the infrastructure, in theory, is already available as it is a fuel which is already being used.” Linden Coppell, MSC Cruises’
sustainability director, echoed Laurent’s comments on green methanol, saying it was “a good solution” to help decarbonise ships. “You can modify engines to
use green methanol,” she added. Coppell said she saw “a great level
of engagement” from the trade on sustainability tours of MSC World Europa in Doha, Qatar, this month. The 6,774-passenger ship features solid oxide fuel cell technology to generate electricity powered by LNG. “Going forward, it will be
about looking at how we can best communicate this sustainability message with agents,” Coppell added. Travel Village Group managing
director John Warr, who took part in a tour, said: “If I am going to ask our sales team to talk about sustainability, I need to understand it myself.”
travelweekly.co.uk
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