In 2011 the European Commission, along with other organizations, launched the European Advanced Biofuels Flightpath initiative to help the EU meet Paris Climate Agreement targets. It has been announced that Henrik Erämetsä, Head of Aviation Regulation at Neste has been appointed Co-Chair and will serve alongside Ruben Alblas from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Biofuel companies taking part in the initiative include Neste, Biochemtex, Honeywell UOP, Swedish Biofuels, and Total. Airlines involved are KLM, Air France, British Airways, and Lufthansa.

Photo credit: Neste

“We are very happy that Neste’s leadership in biofuels industry was recognized by this important appointment,” said Kaisa Hietala, executive vice president in renewable products at Neste. “Henrik is a recognised expert in his field and has a vast experience in various energy related issues as well as from EU bodies. This initiative is a right step towards decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by making advanced biofuels a reality also in flying.”

The major goal of the Flightpath initiative is to get sustainably produced aviation biofuels to market faster. One tactic to reach this goal includes construction of advanced biofuel production biorefineries in Europe. In addition, the avaiation industry is calling for setting a target level to the amount of sustainable biofuels used in European civil aviation.

Erämetsä said of his appointment, “Aviation is the most rapidly growing segment of traffic. Sustainable biofuels along with reduced fuel consumption of aeroplanes and increased operational efficiency offer us means to lower the carbon footprint caused by increased aviation in the EU. They also contribute to reaching the IATA target of carbon-neutral growth of airline industry from 2020 and subsequent reduction of carbon emission. I am glad to be able to use my expertise in pursuing the targets.”