24 June, 2022

Amex GBT teams up with Accenture and Shell on tech solutions for sustainable aviation fuel

White airplane model on flower fresh green leaves background. Sustainable travel. Clean and green energy, biofuel for aviation industry. Sustainable aviation fuel concept

Shell, Accenture, and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) have launched Avelia — one of the world’s first blockchain-powered digital sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) book-and-claim solutions for business travel.

It is the largest SAF book-and-claim pilot at launch, offering around 1 million gallons of SAF – enough to power almost 15,000 individual business traveller flights from London to New York.

The pilot phase of the program aims to demonstrate the credibility of the book-and-claim model, using blockchain technology to ensure secured allocation of SAF’s environmental attributes to companies and airlines after the fuel has been delivered into the fuel network.

With Avelia, airlines and business customers could simultaneously reduce emissions in their respective scopes, while ensuring transparency and accountability by avoiding issues such as double-counting.

Developed by Shell and Accenture, with the support of the Energy Web Foundation (EWF), Avelia includes Amex GBT’s travel management services to aggregate global business demand for SAF, which will increase SAF supply and use and help accelerate the aviation industry’s pathway towards net-zero emissions.

“SAF is a key enabler of decarbonisation in the aviation industry, and it’s available today,” Jan Toschka, president, of Shell Aviation said.

“However, it’s currently scarce and costs more than conventional jet fuel. Avelia will help trigger demand for SAF at scale, providing confidence to suppliers like us to further increase investment in production, and in turn helping to lower the price point for these fuels.”

Paul Abbott, CEO, Amex GBT said Avelia was a viable route to decarbonising air travel.

“We’re calling on all companies to join us and share the costs and benefits of SAF across the travel and aviation sectors. Airlines will gain access to the buying capacity of businesses, drawing from Amex GBT’s 19,000 customers around the world,” Abbott said.

Shell has committed to purchasing the environmental attributes equivalent to 100,000 gallons of SAF over the pilot phase of the Avelia programme and plans to increase this commitment as soon as more SAF is available, to achieve its ambition to abate 45 per cent of Shell’s corporate travel emissions through SAF by 2030.

Featured image: iStock/Liliya Filakhtova

Advertise with us

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Accenture Amex GBT Avelia Jan Toschka Paul Abbott SAF Shell sustainable aviation fuel