CEPSA: TUI And CEPSA Join Forces To Decarbonise Flying

TUI, one of the world’s leading tourism groups, and Spanish energy company Cepsa have signed a collaboration agreement to promote the production and supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a key tool to further reduce the carbon footprint of air transport and a priority for both companies to fight against climate change. These fuels will be produced from circular raw materials that do not compete with food resources, such as used cooking oils, non-food animal waste or biodegradable waste from various industries, and will make it possible to reduce aircraft emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional kerosene.

TUI has been working to reduce its environmental footprint for years and is on a journey to net-zero emissions travel, with the goal to be achieved by 2050 at the latest. To reach this goal and progressively stem the emissions from holiday travel, TUI will increasingly rely on new energy alternatives.

“We see the sustainable transformation not as regulation but as an opportunity for TUI and the travel industry, for destinations, for employees and customers. Sustainable tourism not only has a lower ecological footprint, but also supports change in holiday destinations – offering opportunities for local people in destinations and creating social and economic added value. Social, ecological and economic sustainability belong together. Emission-free travel is our ambitious goal. Whether the flight to the holiday destination, the cruise, the overnight stay in the hotel or experience booked locally – together with partners, our own concepts and projects to reduce emissions, we are working continuously and very concretely towards the goal of “Net-Zero”. Every business segment, whether TUI hotels, cruises or airlines, has goals and a clear roadmap – in addition, intermediate steps are important, we want and must achieve Net-Zero faster than 2050,” says Thomas Ellerbeck, Chief Sustainability Officer and Member of the Group Executive Committee at TUI Group.

“Collaborations like the one with Cepsa support the achievement of our climate goals. We have set ourselves ambitious reduction targets for TUI Airlines, which are currently being validated by the independent Science Based Targets initiative. SAF plays a crucial role in reducing emissions in aviation and for TUI. At the same time, such cooperation’s contribute to increasing the availability of sustainable aviation fuels in the future. After all, in addition to more carbon-efficient aircraft, SAF in particular are an important lever for more sustainable travel,” says Marco Ciomperlik, Chief Airline Officer of TUI Group.

In focus: Cooperation with Cepsa

TUI is working with strong partners to implement its plans to reduce emissions and has a long-standing partnership with Spanish-based Cepsa. Spain, especially with its holiday islands such as the Canary and Balearic Islands, is one of the most important destinations for TUI Airlines. Cepsa supplies TUI not only with kerosene and, in future, with SAF, but also with fuel for coaches in some of the destinations and for the ships of the Group’s cruise division, two areas where the companies will also work together to pursue decarbonisation.

“Cepsa is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and that of its customers through the production of clean energies like sustainable aviation fuel, a proven way to decarbonise air travel. Partnerships like the one with TUI are crucial to this effort, not just for air transport, but also in our joint pursuit of cleaner alternatives for other forms of travel as well,” said Carlos Barrasa, Cepsa’s Director of Commercial & Clean Energies.

Tobi Pardo, Cepsa’s Director of Aviation and Asphalts, said: “This new alliance to create more sustainable forms of air transport reinforces our commitment to offer increasingly low-carbon solutions for our customers. We want to walk this path alongside our customers, with whom we share a strong determination in fighting climate change.”