Sustainability In The Air

How SAS wants to pioneer sustainable aviation in Scandinavia

Oct 3, 2024

Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), explores the airline's dynamic sustainability journey rooted in Scandinavia’s environmental ethos. He discusses SAS’s innovative three-pillar strategy—Sustainable Aviation Fuel, electric aviation, and hydrogen technology. Van der Werff highlights the airline's Conscious Traveler program, aimed at encouraging eco-friendly choices among passengers. He also shares exciting plans for an electric flight by 2028, balancing essential connectivity with ambitious sustainability goals.

47:52

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Episode guests

Anko van der Werff

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

SAS's sustainability initiatives are deeply influenced by Scandinavian environmental consciousness, integrating eco-friendly practices across all operations.

The airline's Conscious Traveler program effectively engages passengers to make sustainable choices, significantly increasing biofuel purchases since its launch.

Deep dives

The Role of Sita Ecomission in Sustainable Aviation

Sita Ecomission functions as a valuable tool for airlines, helping them comply with environmental regulations such as Refill EU and EU ETS, thereby facilitating sustainable practices. By simplifying compliance and reducing costs, the tool provides real-time insights that support greener decisions in airline operations. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by the completion of ten sustainability steps by thousands of users, leading to reduced emissions equivalent to taking 500 flights off the air. This showcases the incremental progress that can lead to significant improvements in the aviation industry.

Intro

4min

Sustainable Aviation in Scandinavia

18min

Sustainable Aviation: Embracing Innovation and Efficiency

19min

Rapid-Fire Favorites and Fun

4min

Strategic Career Advice and Future Impact in Aviation

2min

Supporting Sustainable Aviation Awareness

2min

In this episode, we talk to Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), who shares insights into the airline’s ambitious sustainability initiatives and how they’re shaped by the unique environmental consciousness of Scandinavia.

SAS, a longstanding Scandinavian carrier, faces distinct challenges and opportunities in its sustainability journey due to the region’s deep-rooted environmental awareness and geographical characteristics. Van der Werff discusses:

The profound impact of Scandinavian environmental consciousness on SAS’s sustainability strategy, which goes beyond compliance to integrate sustainability into all aspects of operations.
The critical role of aviation in Scandinavia, serving as an essential connector for the region’s dispersed population across large, elongated countries.
SAS’s three-pillar approach to achieve sustainable aviation: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), electric aviation, and hydrogen technology.
The airline’s Conscious Traveler program, which educates and incentivises passengers to make sustainable choices, including the option to purchase SAF.
The airline’s bold move into electric aviation, including a partnership with Heart Aerospace and the sale of tickets for a fully electric flight scheduled for 2028.

Throughout the conversation, van der Werff emphasises the delicate balance SAS must strike between maintaining essential air connectivity and leading in sustainability efforts. Looking to the future, he expresses optimism about technological advancements in electric and hydrogen aviation, while acknowledging the challenges of high costs and the need for industry-wide collaboration to scale up sustainable solutions.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Anders Forslund, CEO of Heart Aerospace. Check it out here.

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

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:

EuroBonus conscious traveler - SAS

Scandinavian Airline SAS taking bookings for first electric flight on ES-30 aircraft in 2028 - Aviation International News

Restructured SAS formally joins SkyTeam after withdrawal from Star Alliance - Flight Global

First swedish airport joins SAS’ corporate sustainability program - Simple Flying

SAS successfully emerges from restructuring, poised for a new era as Scandinavia’s leading airline - Aviation24.be