Phillips 66 earns new set of wings with delivery of sustainable aviation fuel to British Airways

An undisputed leader in aviation, Phillips 66 has earned a new set of wings.

The company made history last week with its first-ever delivery of sustainable aviation fuel to British Airways from its Humber Refinery in the U.K. as part of a multiyear supply agreement.

“Phillips 66 Humber Refinery is proud to supply British Airways with sustainable aviation fuel,” said Darren Cunningham, General Manager of Humber Refinery and Phillips 66’s Lead Executive in the U.K. “The strategic collaboration and supply agreement confirm each companies’ commitment to a lower-carbon future.” 

The SAF produced at Humber will help power a number of British Airways flights. The fuel is produced from sustainable waste feedstock at the refinery, and British Airways will add it into the existing pipeline infrastructure that feeds several U.K. airports, including London Heathrow.

Adding to a string of firsts in recent years, Humber, too, made history as the first U.K. refinery to make and supply SAF at scale. The refinery has processed waste feedstocks into renewable fuels since 2018.

“We were the first in the U.K. to co-process waste oils to produce renewable diesel, and now we are the first to produce SAF at scale,” Cunningham said. “We’re currently refining almost half a million liters (about 3,000 barrels) of sustainable waste feedstocks a day, and this is just a start.”

In this video from British Airways, Humber Process Engineer Linda Winstanley explains part of the process for producing sustainable aviation fuel.

The SAF delivery is a major milestone for Phillips 66, a leading U.S. supplier of jet fuels and aviation gasoline to commercial, private and military aviation. Phillips 66 aims to expand production of renewable fuels at Humber and in the U.S., the latter through a proposed conversion of its San Francisco Refinery in Rodeo, California, into one of the world’s largest renewable fuels facilities.

According to British Airways, the SAF bought by the airline through the supply agreement will be enough to reduce lifecycle CO₂ emissions by almost 100,000 tons, which could power 700 net zero CO₂ emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787 aircraft.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive, said: “Being the first airline to source sustainable aviation fuel produced at commercial scale in the U.K. is another breakthrough moment for us and the airline industry.”

British Airways and Phillips 66 support U.K. government plans for a future SAF mandate and a business model for investing in advanced waste-to-jet-fuel projects through participation in the U.K. Department for Transport’s Jet Zero Council Delivery Group.

U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “It’s great to see British Airways is the first airline in the world that started using sustainable aviation fuel produced at scale in the U.K. — an important milestone towards our ambitious Jet Zero targets. 

“The fact it’s being produced here in the U.K. is a perfect demonstration of how Britain continues to be a pioneer in developing green aviation technology and the government will meet its 2050 net zero target.” 

Darren Cunningham, General Manager of Humber Refinery and Phillips 66’s Lead Executive in the U.K.