SIA signs deal for next-generation SAF from Aether

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has agreed to purchase up to 4,800 tonnes of next-generation sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Aether Beacon Pte Ltd. (Aether) over a three-year period, with deliveries set to begin in 2028.

SIA is the first airline to purchase SAF produced at Project Beacon, Aether’s commercial production facility being developed at Aster’s refining complex on Singapore’s Pulau Bukom. The agreement also marks SIA’s first purchase of SAF made using technology that converts waste carbon feedstocks into aviation fuel.

Project Beacon will use feedstocks such as biomethane and industrial waste gases to produce SAF through Aether’s Aurora technology. The process offers an alternative to the hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway, which relies on more limited lipid-based feedstocks.

“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,” said Lee Wen Fen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Singapore Airlines.

Aether’s proprietary technology builds on the Fischer-Tropsch process to convert these waste-derived gases into liquid aviation fuel. The SAF produced at the facility will be certified under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

Aether plans to commission its first large-scale commercial plant by 2031, with a production capacity at least 10 times that of Project Beacon, as part of its broader expansion of next-generation SAF production.

“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,” said Conor Madigan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aether Fuels.