Sustainability In The Air
Aviation has many paths to net zero, and few are straightforward. Sustainability in the Air cuts through the noise with clear, expert-led conversations on what’s actually advancing a more sustainable future for flight in one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.
💚 Twice a month, SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam speaks with airline, airport, travel, and energy leaders to unpack the decisions shaping aviation’s climate future.
💚 Each month, our Head of Sustainability Dirk Singer adds a Signal episode spotlighting the tech founders building aviation’s next wave of climate innovation.
Whether you work in aviation, advise it, or simply care about the future of travel, this podcast is for you.
For enquiries: podcast@simpliflying.com
For more content on sustainable aviation, visit simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.
Sustainability In The Air
Why IAG believes sustainable aviation requires both collaboration and competition
In this episode, we speak with Aaron Robinson, Vice President of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at the International Airlines Group (IAG), which has become the top airline globally for SAF use.
IAG is one of the visionary companies featured in our new book Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two. You can learn more about the book and order a copy here.
Robinson discusses:
- How IAG leveraged European incentives, Heathrow Airport programmes, and emissions trading schemes to make SAF economically viable whilst partnering with corporate customers like DHL and Microsoft to fund the price gap.
- Why 52% of airlines globally still haven’t used any SAF, exploring how the industry’s safety culture can create resistance to technological change and first-mover disadvantage.
- The cultural and policy differences driving higher SAF adoption rates in Europe versus North
- How regulatory backlash against sustainability claims can discourage innovation and communication about genuine progress.
- The role of book-and-claim systems in optimising SAF deployment whilst developing production capacity in emerging markets across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
- Why the industry needs both elements – collaboration to build infrastructure foundations and healthy competition to drive innovation.
Note: This interview was recorded in August 2024. For the latest figures on SAF use, follow Robinson’s ongoing LinkedIn series. You can read the first post here.
If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Jolanda Stevens, Program Manager for Zero Emission Aviation at KLM, who shares how the airline is advancing sustainable aviation through innovation, partnerships, and strategic investment. Check it out here.
Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.
Links & more:
Sustainability – International Airlines Group
Infinium and Twelve raise a total of up to $1.7 billion towards eSAF production – GreenAir News
British Airways owner IAG ups sustainable fuel intake with Infinium – Forbes
