Sustainable aviation fuel shipment to Wellington Airport marks trifecta of decarbonisation wins

Wellington Airport is welcoming the arrival of a shipment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for Air New Zealand today, the first time the low emissions fuel has been used in the capital and marking a trifecta of decarbonisation wins for the airport in the last year. 

It follows Air New Zealand selecting Wellington and Marlborough Airports to host its first all-electric commercial service, transporting cargo across Cook Strait from 2026. 

Air New Zealand and Wellington Airport also collaborated on a hydrogen trial earlier this year for charging ground service equipment, supported by Hiringa Energy and Toyota New Zealand.

Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke says:

“SAF, hydrogen and electric aircraft will all play a pivotal role in the future of travel, keeping New Zealanders connected while reducing our impact on the environment.

“Wellington Airport is planning to be a hub for short-haul electric flights, but for longer-range flights SAF will be essential in the medium term. Together with Air New Zealand we want to accelerate this transition.

“The beauty of SAF is that it can be handled and used like traditional jet fuel, so doesn’t require major new infrastructure investments for airports and can be used by the existing fleet.   

“There’s still a lot of hard work ahead in the journey to decarbonise aviation, but this is another important step forward.”