Zurich: Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft Ltd has signed a five-year fuel offtake agreement with Synhelion. The commitment to purchase solar kerosene from Synhelion marks a significant milestone in their partnership.
Under the agreement, Pilatus will acquire 200 tons of solar fuel per year, reinforcing the shared dedication of both companies to the sustainable transformation of aviation.
With the aim of accelerating the scaling of solar fuels for aviation, Pilatus and Synhelion announced the start of their strategic partnership in June 2024. As part of this partnership, Pilatus has also become a shareholder in Synhelion, demonstrating an outstanding commitment to supporting the scale-up of renewable fuel technologies in aviation.
As per the new offtake agreement, Pilatus has committed to purchasing 200 tons of solar fuel annually for a period of five years, starting in 2027. The renewable kerosene will be produced by RISE, Synhelion’s first commercial solar fuel plant.
A Milestone for More Sustainable Aviation
Markus Bucher, CEO of Pilatus, stated, “We are delighted that our strategic partnership with Synhelion has resulted in the first signed fuel offtake agreement. We are committed to supporting Synhelion’s  efforts to industrialize solar fuel production. We believe that solar fuels are, as of today, the best way to rapidly defossilize aviation. We intend to use synthetic fuel in our own fleet as soon as possible and offer it to our customers at a later stage.”
Initially, Pilatus plans to use solar fuels for company test and demonstration flights with its signature aircraft, the PC-12 and PC-24.
Advancing Solar Fuel Production
Synhelion has successfully industrialised its technology for the production of sustainable, synthetic fuels. In June 2024, the company inaugurated DAWN, the world’s first industrial demonstration plant for the production of solar fuels. The solar kerosene, diesel, and gasoline produced at plant DAWN will be used for demonstration purposes. The fuel sold to Pilatus will be sourced from Synhelion’s first commercial solar fuel plant RISE in Spain, which is scheduled to start operation in 2027.
This facility will have a production capacity of 1’000 tons of solar fuel per year.
Scaling Solar Fuels Globally
Synhelion is rapidly scaling up its solar fuel technology to enable sustainable transportation. Further customers and partners supporting Synhelion will be announced soon.
Philipp Furler, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Synhelion, commented, “Pilatus and Synhelion share the same pioneering spirit and strive to defossilize aviation. We are thrilled to welcome Pilatus not only as a strategic partner and investor but also as a key customer in our global roll-out of solar fuels.”
Founded in 1939, the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft Ltd develops and builds unique aircraft worldwide: from the legendary PC-12, the best-selling single-engine turboprop aircraft in its class, to the PC-7 MKX and PC-21 and the associated simulators, the market-leading training systems for pilot training. The brand-new PC-24 is the world’s first business jet capable of operating on short natural runways.
Synhelion produces sustainable solar fuels. The cleantech scale-up company is on a mission to contribute to a net-zero transportation sector by replacing fossil fuels with renewable solar fuels. Founded in 2016 as a spin-off of ETH Zurich, Synhelion is now commercialising the Sun-to-Liquid technology. In June 2024, the company inaugurated DAWN, the world’s first industrial plant for the production of solar fuel in Jülich, Germany. RISE, Synhelion’s first commercial production plant, will be located in Spain and is scheduled to produce fuels from 2027. On its road to defossilize transportation, Synhelion is supported by a network of international partners such as Eni, Cemex, Lufthansa Group, Swiss International Air Lines, SMS group, Wood, AMAG Group, Zurich Airport, and Pilatus Aircraft.
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