Mönchengladbach Airport leads Germany in offering sustainable aviation fuel

Germany's Mönchengladbach Airport has become the first in the country to offer continuous supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airport, located near Düsseldorf, has partnered with refiner TotalEnergies for regularly scheduled deliveries of SAF. This fuel is produced via the HEFA pathway from animal fats and used cooking oil. It will be distributed on-site by Rheinland Air Service (RAS), an FBO based at Mönchengladbach.

Rheinland Air Service CEO Johannes Graf von Schaesberg stated, "As the European dealer of Honda Aircraft and Daher Aircraft for Germany and Austria, Rheinland Air Service is committed to carry out all HondaJet ferry flights and demonstration flights through RAS with SAF." He added that this commitment also applies to Daher’s TBM and Kodiak aircraft.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport, Oliver Krischer, participated in a ceremonial event marking the first refueling of an aircraft with SAF at Mönchengladbach Airport. He remarked, “Air traffic must become climate neutral; that is why we are supporting measures and projects that make flying without fossil fuels possible.” Krischer emphasized that electric propulsion will complement SAF use in achieving this goal. He further noted, “It is pioneering that Mönchengladbach Airport has now created the possibility of refueling aircraft with SAF.”