Volotea accelerates on the use of SAF
Volotea is taking a new step on the path towards more sustainable aviation by significantly increasing the use of SAF, the sustainable aviation fuel. In 2025, the company used more than 7 million liters of SAF, accounting for more than 2% of total fuel consumption, which is more than three times higher than the industry average, which stood at around 0.6% over the same period.
The result marks a strong acceleration compared to 2024, when Volotea had used around 1.3 million litres of SAF. In just one year, therefore, the volume grew more than fivefold. Considering the period between 2022 and 2025, the company exceeded a total of 9.4 million litres of SAF used.
According to ICAO, sustainable fuels are now one of the most effective solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions in the short and medium term. Volotea points out that the SAF used allows a reduction of up to 80% in emissions over the entire life cycle compared to traditional kerosene.
The figure achieved in 2025 is also relevant in light of the European regulatory framework. In fact, the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation sets a minimum share of SAF of 2% in 2025, 6% in 2030 and 70% by 2050. With a share of 2.02% already achieved in 2025, Volotea is therefore beyond the currently required target.
A voluntary program involving passengers also contributed to supporting this result. Thanks to this initiative, the Paris-Orly - Rodez route was operated for about three months with a 6% share of SAF.
On the supply front, the company has strengthened its strategy with several agreements. These include the agreement with Enilive for the long-term supply of SAF in 15 Italian airports served by the carrier, the agreement with TotalEnergies for a supply of up to 7.5 million liters by 2029 in French airports, the 6.1 million liters guaranteed by Repsol in Spain and the collaboration with Moeve to develop the supply from 2025.
In parallel, Volotea continues to work on operational efficiency. Since its founding in 2012, the company has introduced over 50 environmental initiatives, reducing CO₂ emissions per passenger-kilometer by more than 51% by the end of 2024, six years ahead of initial targets. The new target indicated by the company is now between 55% and 60% by 2030.
Among the factors contributing to this path is also the operating model based on direct flights, which according to Volotea allows for a reduction of up to 56% in emissions compared to connections with stopovers. Added to this is a high load factor , over 90% since 2018 and over 91% in 2024.
The company also recalls that, since September 2022, it has been operating Airbus' internal shuttle service between Hamburg and Toulouse using a fuel mixture with an average of 10% SAF on flights refueled in the German city.
For passengers, these figures do not directly change the flight experience in the short term, but they do indicate a clear direction: the increase in the use of SAF and the strengthening of supply agreements show how the company is trying to anticipate European objectives and consolidate its position in the environmental transition path of air transport towards sustainable mobility.
As stated by Gloria Carreras, the company's ESG Director, "Increasing the use of SAF is a strategic priority for Volotea. We are aware of the current limitations related to the availability of these fuels and that the challenge is structural for the entire sector, but the results achieved in 2025 show that it is possible to accelerate their adoption in a concrete way. We will continue to work to progressively increase their use, contributing in a pragmatic way to the reduction of emissions in the sector".
