Zurich: Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Swiss cleantech company Synhelion have signed a long-term offtake agreement for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). From 2027, SWISS will purchase at least 200 tons of solar jet fuel from Synhelion annually, pioneering the use of this innovative fuel in civil aviation. The agreement marks an important milestone on the road to more sustainable aviation.
SWISS is the first airline to sign a binding five-year SAF offtake agreement with Synhelion. This marks a pioneering step toward defossilising aviation. From 2027, Synhelion will produce renewable synthetic crude oil, known as “syncrude”, at its first commercial plant. The syncrude will be processed in an existing refinery together with fossil crude oil and refined into certified Jet-A-1 fuel. Thus, Synhelion directly replaces fossil crude oil with sustainable syncrude, without the need for any adjustments to the existing infrastructure. The fuel will be delivered to the airport via the regular logistics chain and fed into the fuel supply system. Synhelion’s synthetic jet fuel is based on renewable energy and sustainable feedstocks.
A Strong Signal for Sustainable Aviation
“The partnership with Synhelion is a significant step for SWISS on the path to decarbonising our flight operations,” says Jens Fehlinger, CEO of SWISS. “Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are a core element of our sustainability strategy. The offtake agreement with Synhelion sends a strong signal for innovation and responsibility in aviation.”
With this offtake agreement, SWISS is actively supporting the scaling of Synhelion’s technology for the production of renewable synthetic fuels as a customer, investor, and strategic partner. This long-term planning certainty enables targeted expansion of production capacity and helps reduce costs over time.
Pioneering Partnership
Synhelion also emphasises the significance of the agreement: “The fact that SWISS, a leading airline, has committed early on to adopt our fuels demonstrates confidence in the market readiness of our technology,” says Philipp Furler, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Synhelion. “This partnership is a milestone for the commercial market launch of our fuels – and sets a powerful example to other airlines worldwide.”
Expanding the Partnership with Kuehne+Nagel
Part of the renewable jet fuel produced by Synhelion will be resold by SWISS to the logistics service provider Kuehne+Nagel. The company will use the sustainable fuel for air freight transportation with Swiss WorldCargo, offering its customers a tangible solution to reduce their carbon footprint in global logistics.
First Delivery Already Completed
In July 2025, SWISS became the first airline in the world to use solar fuel from Synhelion in regular flight perations. Synhelion delivered its first barrel of syncrude from its DAWN plant to a refinery in northern Germany, where the syncrude was processed into certified jet fuel (Jet-A-1) and subsequently fed into the fuel supply system via Hamburg Airport.
