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The agreement between AEGEAN and HELPE on the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use program for flights in Greece was presented by the Chairman of AEGEAN, Mr. E. Vassilakis, and the CEO of the HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group, Mr. A. Shiamishis, to the competent Ministers of Environment and Energy, Mr. K. Skrekas, and of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. K. Karamanlis, in a joint meeting that was held today at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
More specifically, the HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group, via it subsidiary, EKO, undertook ensuring the supply of SAF to Greece and specifically to Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”, while AEGEAN committed to the use of SAF in flights departing from its base in Thessaloniki, making it the first Greek airline and one of the few in Europe to be carrying out flights on a regular basis using sustainable fuel.
With this agreement, the two organisations are clearing the path for Greece's timely adjustment to the goals of the upcoming European legislation for the obligatory use of 2% SAF, by 2025 on all flights from EU airports and they are laying the groundwork to create the necessary requirements that will include Greece on the map of sustainable air transport. At the same time, during the meeting, AEGEAN and HELPE pointed out the need to incorporate SAF in national energy and climate planning and they submitted specific proposals to support their development and use in Greece, in view of the upcoming European commitments starting in 2025.
The initiative of the two companies was welcomed by the competent Ministers of Environment, Mr K. Skrekas, and Transport and Infrastructure, Mr K. Karamanlis, who expressed the will of the state to shape the necessary conditions for the broader use of SAF in air transport in Greece in a timely manner. In that context, they announced the composition of an interministerial committee with the participation of the Secretaries General of the Ministries of Transport, Environment and Finance.
At the same time, the two companies, in an effort to lay the foundations for a more sustainable future, within the framework of their Corporate Responsibility Programs, have already committed to the implementation of an innovative education program, aiming to raise awareness with students in Northern Greece regarding climate change.