• American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), a leader in B2B software and services for travel and expense, and Shell Aviation, announce new extended agreement to support growth of the Avelia sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) program.
• Avelia, one of world’s first blockchain-powered book-and-claim platforms for SAF, has more than 30 corporates and airlines participating in the program including Amex GBT customers Bank of America and Google.[1]
• The program is one of the first world-wide to receive external GHG data verification.
• More than 10 million gallons of SAF injected into the fuel network since program launch, at nine airports around the world.

July 18, 2024

Why it matters now:

• A $1.4 trillion industry and growing[2], global business travel has the collective scale and commercial influence to help encourage investment into the production and supply of sustainable fuels and technologies needed to reduce emissions.
• Avelia stands out as a book-and-claim program that is delivering significant volumes of SAF into the aviation airport fueling network today.
• The program demonstrates that book and claim is a credible mechanism for airlines and corporations to reduce lifecycle emissions with SAF. This is especially timely in light of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) soliciting input on environmental attribute certificate (EAC) effectiveness inclusive of SAF and major revisions to the Corporate Net-Zero Standard inclusive of Scope 3.[3]
• Amex GBT’s recommitment to Avelia through a new agreement sets the program up for continued growth as a proven, accredited and trackable option for corporates to invest in decarbonization.

What is Avelia:

• Launched as a pilot program in June 2022, Avelia is now an established industry solution for reducing CO₂ emissions on a lifecycle basis from the aviation industry. It was developed by Shell and Accenture, with the support of the Energy Web Foundation, together with Amex GBT.
• Avelia connects airlines and businesses globally to bridge the cost gap of SAF and open access to its environmental benefits to more parties. It aims to generate the scale of demand necessary to help the sector transition to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Accomplishments to date:

• Injected SAF: Avelia was the largest SAF book-and-claim pilot at time of launch in June 2022, offering around 1 million gallons of SAF. The platform has since injected more than 10 million gallons of SAF into the existing fuel network, abating over 90,000 tCO2e, the equivalent of around 160,000 passengers flying from London to New York.[4]
• Externally verified and validated: Recent regulatory developments – such as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Climate-Related Disclosure Rules and European Commission’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive – require external assurance of certain carbon data. Avelia is one of the only SAF programs to receive external assurance regarding conformance to carbon accounting insetting guidelines for SAF (per Smart Freight Centre and MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics) following the approach of ISO 14064-3 (per verification and validation of greenhouse gas statements).[5] This proves Avelia’s capability in facilitating the delivery of actual SAF into the aviation airport network.
• Growing volumes: These volumes are part of the agreements signed by more than 30 corporations and airlines1 to purchase environmental attributes associated with SAF totaling 49 million gallons of SAF to be supplied by Shell up to 2026.[6] Once injected into the fueling network, this could potentially bring the total abated CO2e to more than 450,000 tCO2e[7], the equivalent of over 800,000 passengers flying from London to New York.⁴
• Demonstration: Avelia transactions include over 600 Declarations of Environmental Attributes (DEAs) associated with SAF supplied then retired on behalf of customers.
• Diverse participant base: The corporations transacting SAF through Avelia include Aon, Bank of America, Google, and more – representing leading corporates from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Avelia supports businesses operating across technology, finance, cargo, and travel – plus others – in reducing emissions from their air travel while servicing multinationals across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
• Expanding airport network: There are now nine airports around the world where SAF has been injected into the fuel network through Avelia, helping enable access to SAF globally: London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Ontario (California), Paris, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Le Havre France, Singapore Changi and Dubai.
• Shell Aviation has signed a multi-year offtake agreement for sustainable aviation fuel with Montana Renewables, one of the largest sustainable aviation fuel producers in North America. The neat SAF produced by Montana Renewables has been used to fulfil supply agreements at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

What’s next:

Amex GBT plans to expand the Avelia program with its growing customer base and marketplace for business travel. Whereas business travel has been at the forefront of SAF adoption and enablement, the opportunity for broader value chain activation remains strong: air freight customers, aircraft financiers, aircraft manufacturers, fuel producers, and others.

How it works:

• Shell Aviation receives aggregated demand from Amex GBT’s ~20,000 customers across 140 countries, enabling producers to invest in new refineries and technologies, then supplying SAF into the general airline fuel system.
• Airlines benefit by having access to environmental attributes associated with fully traceable SAF, while satisfying consumer demands and regulatory requirements
• Corporations meet their sustainability targets by co-funding the purchase of SAF today while committing to co-fund increasing amounts in future years helping to drive a step-change in volume.
• Avelia technology provides an end-to-end blockchain powered digital SAF book and claim platform with traceable environmental attributes that prevent double counting.
• Participating corporates and airlines receive an environmental attribute that can be verified and certified as claimable under carbon reduction targets and disclosures.

Amex GBT and Shell Aviation on-the-record:

• Paul Abbott, Amex GBT CEO, said: “Avelia’s growth is proof that corporate travel can play a pivotal role in scaling the sustainable technologies needed to address air travel emissions. Extending our SAF partnership with Shell Aviation means our customers can keep working towards their sustainability objectives while we lead the transformational change needed to decarbonize aviation.”
• Raman Ojha, President of Shell Aviation, said: “SAF is the only scalable in-sector solution for decarbonizing aviation and the industry must work together to overcome SAF’s price premium and grow demand and supply. At Shell Aviation, we are pleased to continue our relationship with Amex GBT through Avelia, helping to connect corporate travel demand with SAF supply. It is a great example of cross-value chain collaboration leading to the innovative platforms we need to progress the sustainable future of aviation.”

Learn more:

• To learn more about Avelia, please visit com.

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Notes to editors:

• Avelia is intended to complement and work alongside airlines’ current corporate SAF programs. It offers a solution that is inclusive and neutral with respect to airlines, technology production pathways, fuels and feedstocks.
• Book-and-claim allows travelers to pay for SAF, and claim the environmental benefits, even if SAF is not available at their departure airport. SAF will instead be fed into another aircraft in an airport where available.
• While SAF supply remains limited, corporates can utilize book-and-claim mechanisms to access SAF and accurately account for the emissions associated with it.
• Industry, governments and non-governmental organizations have converged in support of book-and-claim, most recently demonstrated by the Book & Claim Community developing and publishing the June 2024 Principles and Best Practices for Book and Claim in Heavy Transport.[8] “The scale and complexity of heavy transport operations and the high price premium on low emission fuels and/or services make heavy transport decarbonization challenging. Book and claim systems are a promising value chain approach for reducing financial and infrastructural barriers while enabling decarbonization. This approach drives vital and real uptake of low-emission transportation services and solutions that would otherwise not have occurred.”

About American Express Global Business Travel

American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) is a leading software and services company for travel, expense, and meetings & events. We have built the most valuable marketplace in travel with the most comprehensive and competitive content. A choice of solutions brought to you through a strong combination of technology and people, delivering the best experiences, proven at scale. With travel professionals and business partners in more than 140 countries, our solutions deliver savings, flexibility, and service from a brand you can trust – Amex GBT.

Visit amexglobalbusinesstravel.com for more information about Amex GBT, and follow @amexgbt on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Shell Aviation

With one of the most extensive refueling networks in the world Shell Aviation supplies fuel, lubricants, and sustainable solutions. Customers range from the world’s largest airlines to private pilots.

Shell has set a clear target to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. Sustainable aviation fuel is a key lever to achieve this, and Shell Aviation is investing in promising technologies to accelerate other production pathways such as Alcohol to Jet (AtJ) technology.

Shell Aviation’s production ambitions, together with its supply deals, position it strongly to support the decarbonization of aviation.

Further information can be found at Shell Aviation and Flightpath.

Media contacts:

Leslie Wertheimer, Director, Global Communications & Public Affairs, Amex GBT
[email protected]

¹ Airline carriers and corporations who have signed on to Avelia include Alaska Airlines, Amex GBT, Aon, Bank of America, Cathay Pacific Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Google LLC, Kintetsu World Express, JetBlue Airways, Rolls-Royce, and Yokogawa among others.

² GBTA, 2023 GBTA Business Travel Index™ Outlook – Annual Global Report and Forecast

[3] See https:/sciencebasedtargets.org/news/sbti-releases-plans-for-the-corporate-net-zero-standard-major-revision__;!!KLL8VBKIGhc0BcQ38Y9qmONVtVtEUw!w2WJbavdxuoXQpeIGbelUseF5dxpY_FnYZLvBSwlbtOA9iQqLQlJZaScoj_WpthbRg1Qdh9AbJ1H9EZ1efieS7jZEWc-kQ$.

[4] The number of one-way long haul average passenger flights has been calculated based on the following assumptions, a flight distance between London and New York of 5541km, and an emissions factor for a long-haul flight of 0.102 kgCO₂e/passenger-km based on UK DEFRA 2022 emissions factors for corporate reporting.

[5] See Smart Freight Centre and MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics greenhouse gas accounting and insetting guidelines for sustainable aviation fuel (https://sustainable.mit.edu/sustainablefuel/) and statement regarding external assurance (https://aveliasolutions.com/).

[6] The amount of attributes ultimately delivered under these agreements will depend on the availability/supply of SAF during the relevant contract periods.

[7] Basis for the projected carbon abatement computation: CORSIA default is 22.5 gCO2e/MJ for HEFA SAF with beef tallow. CORSIA Default Life Cycle Emissions Values for CORSIA Eligible Fuels – Second Edition (icao int). Actual GHG Carbon Intensity will be known upon delivery.

[8] See https://bookandclaimcommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/June-2024-BCC-Principles-and-Best-Practices.pdf.