Singapore Airlines signs deal for Aether sustainable fuel

Singapore Airlines has agreed to buy up to 4,800 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel from Aether over three years, becoming the first airline to sign for fuel from Aether's Project Beacon facility in Singapore.

Deliveries are due to begin in 2028 under the deal, which covers fuel made from waste carbon feedstocks including biomethane and industrial waste gases. It is Singapore Airlines' first purchase of sustainable aviation fuel produced through a process that converts waste carbon into aviation fuel.

Project Beacon is being developed at Aster's refining complex on Pulau Bukom in Singapore. The plant will produce fuel using Aether's Aurora process, described as an alternative to the hydro-processed esters and fatty acids pathway, which depends on lipid-based feedstocks.

Fuel from the site will be certified under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, the global aviation emissions framework known as Corsia. The agreement also aligns with Singapore's efforts to build domestic production of lower-carbon fuels.

Alternative feedstocks

Aether's process adapts the Fischer-Tropsch method to turn waste-derived gases into liquid aviation fuel. That differs from current sustainable aviation fuel production routes, which rely more heavily on used oils, fats and other limited feedstocks.

For Singapore Airlines, the agreement adds another supply source as airlines seek to secure access to sustainable aviation fuel amid limited global availability. Supply constraints and higher costs remain the main barriers to wider use of the fuel across the aviation sector.

Lee Wen Fen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Singapore Airlines, said: "Supporting the development and adoption of SAF, and securing future supplies, are integral to SIA's ambition of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As the first airline to purchase SAF from Project Beacon, SIA is demonstrating demand for new lower-carbon fuel production pathways in Singapore. We will continue to work with partners globally to scale SAF production, strengthen the aviation industry's sustainability ecosystem, and support the transition to more sustainable air travel."

Singapore base

Aether chose Singapore for its first commercial facility after previously signing a memorandum of understanding with the airline. It has since built partnerships across the local supply chain around the project.

Beyond Beacon, Aether plans a larger commercial plant by 2031 with production capacity at least 10 times greater than the Singapore facility. The expansion would form part of a broader build-out of what it calls next-generation sustainable aviation fuel production.

Conor Madigan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aether Fuels, said: "When we signed our MOU with Singapore Airlines last year, Project Beacon had not yet been announced. Since then, we have selected Singapore as the home of our first commercial facility and built critical partnerships across the local value chain. Singapore is building a strong ecosystem for aviation decarbonisation through refining and aviation infrastructure, investment support, sustainability policies, and utilising their position as a global aviation hub. This binding agreement is an important next step and a strong signal of committed demand from a leading global airline - exactly the type of collaboration needed to create the commercial conditions to bring new SAF pathways to scale."