Sustainability In The Air

In this episode, we speak with Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), who shares how the airport has committed to achieving net zero by 2030, and the detailed roadmap they’ve developed to get there.Vrooman discusses:YVR’s accelerated net zero timeline: How they moved from a 2040 target to 2030 by creating a detailed, measurable roadmap with component parts that track progress.Four pathways to net zero: Capital build improvements (including Canada’s largest geo-exchange system with over 800 wells), conservation initiatives, sustainable fuels adoption, and comprehensive data monitoring.Airports’ role in energy transition: How centrally providing electrification and sustainable energy infrastructure to all airport users creates far greater impact than individual airline or tenant initiatives, positioning airports as critical energy hubs.Building British Columbia’s SAF ecosystem: YVR’s partnerships with Air Canada, the provincial government, and regional airports to address the SAF supply chain challenge.ACI Level 4+ certification and accountability: Why data-driven accreditation matters for validating progress, enabling peer collaboration, and ensuring return on investment.The SAF supply-demand paradox: Airlines are willing to purchase SAF and demand exists, but inconsistent supply remains the critical bottleneck.Vrooman also shares leadership insights from her past roles, including leading Vancity Credit Union to achieve net zero and serving as British Columbia’s youngest female Deputy Finance Minister, where she helped design North America’s first carbon tax. If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), who shares her vision for transforming the airport into a sustainable aviation hub. 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: Volume 2’. 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:Vancouver International Airport - YVRFrom ground to sky: four sustainability actions at YVR - YVRHow YVR is reimagining the airport experience by blending CX, commercial innovation, and sustainability - FTE  Why airports should become energy innovation hubs, not just transport hubs - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Trevor Best, Co-founder and CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics, who shares how his company’s proprietary photocatalytic technology converts waste biogas into sustainable aviation fuel, and has the potential to reach fossil jet fuel parity. Best discusses:NovaSAF’s unique value proposition: converting biogas from landfills, dairy farms, and wastewater treatment plants into SAF, simultaneously addressing methane emissions whilst decarbonising aviation transport.The technology’s competitive advantage: using light instead of heat which enables the use of raw biogas without extensive cleanup, scaling efficiently at smaller sites, and increasing yield by incorporating CO2 into the fuel rather than separating it out.Strategic targeting of stranded biogas assets that are far from natural gas grids, which helps secure feedstock at low prices $5-6 per MMBtu, making jet fuel parity achievable.How Syzygy is building the world’s first biogas-to-SAF plant in Uruguay, that can produce 400,000 gallons of SAF anually, serving as proof of concept before scaling to 100,000 tons per year by 2030 through clustered developments.The global biogas opportunity: the International Energy Agency estimates reserves could theoretically produce 580 million tons per year of SAF, exceeding total global jet fuel consumption, though 95% remains stranded today.Best also shares his leadership philosophy: the importance of listening over talking, the inevitability of failure in entrepreneurship, and why persistence matters more than avoiding mistakes.If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Dave Kettner, President and General Counsel at Virent, who shares the company’s pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future in aviation. 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: Volume 2’. 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:Syzygy PlasmonicsSyzygy Plasmonics begins development of the world's first electrified biogas-to-SAF plant - PR NewswireSyzygy Plasmonics outlines dual-certified, cost effective RFNBO and Bio SAF solution as Europe calls for urgent action on Net-Zero aviation - BioEnergy TimesSyzygy Plasmonics and Velocys partner for sustainable aviation fuel production in Uruguay - ChemAnalyst    

In this episode, we speak with Silvia Pugliese and Monica Larrazabal, co-founders of Norma and the only all-female founding team among the c.150 direct air capture startups operating today. They share how their breakthrough supercapacitor approach could drastically slash the energy requirements of carbon capture.Pugliese and Larrazabal discuss:How they discovered a way to "cheat" on energy requirements by combining supercapacitor energy storage technology with CO2 capture, creating a hybrid device that recycles energy through each capture cycle.Their modular approach with desk-sized units that can be deployed anywhere, contrasting with competitors' massive industrial facilities requiring hundreds of millions in funding.The company's measured approach to cost projections, deliberately avoiding the over-promising that has plagued the DAC industry, while still targeting dramatic improvements over current $600-1000 per tonne costs.Securing pre-seed funding led by Contrarian VC, known for rigorous DAC due diligence, and landing MilkyWire as their first commercial client despite being in early development stages.Their 2025-2030 roadmap: pilot testing in 2026, first commercial facility by 2029, and targeting megatonne-scale operations by 2030.How airlines could use their CO2 for e-fuel production, with potential applications ranging from direct air capture and storage to point source capture, leveraging the technology's versatility.The founders also discuss the challenges of being female entrepreneurs in a male-dominated deep tech sector, their base in central Paris near the Marie Curie museum, and their vision of normalising female-led climate tech companies by 2035.Larrazabal explains why the DAC industry is in its "innovation decade" similar to renewable energy in the 1960s-70s, and why they believe they've found the "solar PV moment" for carbon capture.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: Volume 2'. 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:NormaContrarian VCMilkyWireHeirloom Carbon (Monica's former employer)Marble - Climate Tech Accelerator (where Norma was incubated)

In this episode, we speak with Nina Marczell, Senior Vice President of Industrial Sales & Marketing for Fuels & Feedstock at OMV, who shares how the integrated energy company is leading sustainable aviation fuel development from early production to commercial scale across Europe.Marczell discusses:OMV's early-mover advantage, launching SAF production at their Austrian refinery in 2022 – well ahead of EU mandates – starting with 2,000 tonnes through co-processing and scaling to 4,000 tonnes.Europe's first major standalone SAF facility in Romania, featuring 250,000 tonnes annual capacity for SAF and renewable diesel, uniquely integrated with green hydrogen plants that serve both as feedstock and to decarbonise OMV's own refinery operations.Strategic partnerships including groundbreaking collaboration with Airbus on feedstock acceleration, book-and-claim system development, and joint European market advocacy, plus an innovative SAF certificate programme with Microsoft.Why SAF should be considered a premium product with distinct environmental attributes rather than pursuing cost parity with conventional jet fuel.Critical challenges with EU RefuelEU mandate implementation, particularly the steep jumps from 2% to 6% to 20% SAF requirements.OMV's ambitious target to produce up to 1.5 million tonnes of renewable fuels annually by 2030.If you LOVED this episode, you'll also love the conversation we had with Etosha Cave, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Twelve. Check it out here. Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two’. 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:New book: Sustainability in the Air, Vol Two - SimpliFlyingSustainable Aviation Fuel - OMVAustria’s OMV signs deals to supply almost one million tonnes of SAF to Lufthansa Group and Ryanair – GreenAir News OMV adds new processing plant at Schwechat refinery - Oil & Gas Journal OMV Petrom approves renewable fuels plant for Petrobrazi refinery - Oil & Gas JournalAirbus, OMV announce SAF collaboration to reduce carbon - Airport Technology OMV and Microsoft accelerate decarbonization of corporate air travel and its supply chain logistics - OMV 

In this episode, we speak with Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, who shares how the clean propulsion systems company is championing hydrogen-electric engines that could transform commercial aviation.Miftakhov discusses:ZeroAvia’s vertical integration strategy for developing in-house fuel cells, power electronics, and motors.The company’s global expansion with Centres of Excellence in Seattle for electric propulsion systems, Kemble for aircraft integration, and the newly announced Glasgow facility for hydrogen fuel cells.Major commercial traction with 3,000 engines ordered worth $10 billion and another 5,000 in the pipeline, representing up to 8% of the global commercial engine market, with customers including American Airlines and backing from Airbus as lead investor.The certification milestone of achieving G1 approval from the FAA for their 600-kilowatt engine, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2027 for 10-20 seat aircraft, followed by larger regional aircraft in the early 2030s.ZeroAvia’s liquid hydrogen developments for longer-range aircraft, including plans to eliminate contrail formation by condensing water vapour at altitude and releasing it as ice below the typical contrail formation zone.Miftakhov also explains why he believes sustainable aviation fuel is ultimately a transition technology, arguing that hydrogen offers superior economics by avoiding the energy-intensive processes required to create synthetic fuels whilst delivering three times better efficiency through fuel cells versus combustion engines.If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Daniel Rosen Jacobson, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Elysian Aircraft, who shares the startup’s unique approach to electric aviation. 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: Volume 2’. 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:ZeroAvia ZeroAvia achieves FAA milestone for 600 kW electric aircraft propulsion system certification - Charged EVs  American Airlines signs landmark deal with ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines, ushering in a greener era for regional aviation - Travel And Tour World ZeroAvia secures nine new patents to scale hydrogen fuel cell technology for regional aviation - Hydrogen Fuel News 

In this episode, we speak with Luke Farajallah, CEO of Loganair, UK's largest regional airline that operates the world's shortest commercial flight and the only airline globally that lands commercially on a beach.Farajallah discusses:Loganair's unique "fishing in a big pond" approach to sustainable aviation, investing simultaneously in SAF, hybrid-electric aircraft with Heart Aerospace, and hydrogen propulsion with ZeroAvia rather than betting on a single technology.Why regional airlines are better positioned than major carriers to pioneer sustainable aviation, given their shorter routes, smaller aircraft, and wider technology options beyond expensive, imported sustainable aviation fuel.The company's mandatory £1 carbon offset programme included in every ticket, funding local environmental projects across Scotland through their Green Skies initiative, achieving near-zero customer resistance.Strategic partnerships, including equipping Embraer aircraft with 130kg water vapour sensors for the UK Met Office to study contrail environmental impacts, and plans for the world's first hydrogen-powered commercial flight from Orkney.As a leader who transformed Loganair's operational performance from 22nd to 2nd place in European rankings in just 12 months, Farajallah brings a results-driven approach to balancing commercial viability with environmental responsibility whilst serving communities that depend entirely on aviation connectivity.If you LOVED this episode, you'll also love the conversation we had with Sally Davey, CEO of Travelyst. Check it out here. Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two’. 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:New book: Sustainability in the Air, Vol Two - SimpliFlyingLoganair, ZeroAvia ready 2500 kW electric motor for hydrogen aviation future - ElectrekLoganair aiming to deliver the world’s first commercial hydrogen-fuel aircraft route - Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Loganair partners with Heart Aerospace on hybrid-electric aircraft use - Airport Technology Sustainability In The Air (2 book series) Paperback Edition - Amazon How Travalyst is transforming tourism through data-driven collaboration - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Marc Allen, CEO of Electra.aero, who shares how the hybrid-electric aircraft company is using its patented blown-lift technology to make regional air travel more accessible.Electra 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.Allen discusses:Electra’s blown-lift technology that enables fixed-wing aircraft to take off and land like helicopters in just 150 feet, whilst maintaining the economics and safety of conventional aircraft through distributed electric propulsion across eight propellers.The company’s unique value proposition built on four pillars: access, noise, cost, and emissions, which has attracted 2,200+ aircraft orders from 54 operators globally, including commercial airlines, helicopter operators, and defence customers.Strategic partnerships with aerospace heavyweights including Safran for the world’s first certified turbo generator, Honeywell for fly-by-wire systems, and Lockheed Martin for defence applications, enabling rapid development and certification.How Electra can achieve up to 60% emissions reductions on short-haul flights under 100 nautical miles compared to conventional aircraft.The company’s Part 23 certification pathway that avoids the regulatory complexity facing eVTOL competitors, positioning Electra to reach market faster with proven technology.Allen also shares his philosophy that sustainable aviation must create comprehensive value by combining emissions reductions with economic viability, and explains that electric propulsion can become competitive when it offers new forms of air travel capability that jet fuel cannot match.If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Anders Forslund, Co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, who shares the radical transformation his electric aircraft company has undergone in the past year. 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:Technology - Electra.aero Why Electra CEO Marc Allen thinks travelers need a hybrid-electric plane - WSJ Customer base grows for Electra’s EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft - Aviation International News U.S. Army awards Electra contract to develop hybrid-electric aircraft tech - Military Aerospace 

In this episode, we speak with Etosha Cave, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Twelve, who shares how the carbon transformation company harnesses carbon dioxide from industrial waste streams to produce efuels. Twelve 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.Cave discusses:Twelve’s carbon transformation technology that mimics photosynthesis, taking CO2 from industrial emissions, air, and landfills, combining it with water and renewable electricity through metal catalysts to create jet fuel and other products.Strategic partnerships with airlines like Alaska Airlines and International Airlines Group (IAG) and tech companies like Microsoft, leveraging growing consumer demand for carbon-neutral travel solutions and the scalability advantages of power-to-liquids.Twelve’s Moses Lake, Washington plant location choice, capitalising on abundant hydropower, state incentives, geographic proximity to partners, and the emerging cleantech hub.How the company navigates political risks around climate incentives by focusing on carbon management as a bipartisan issue that creates jobs and economic value.Cave also shares her vision for a future with completely closed carbon cycles and explains how Twelve aims to transform waste CO2 into the building blocks for everything from consumer products to aviation fuel.If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Nicholas Flanders, Co-Founder & CEO of Twelve, who discusses the crucial role of clean technology in addressing environmental challenges. 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:E-Jet® Sustainable Aviation Fuel - Twelve Twelve and IAG sign historic long-term multi-million gallon SAF offtake agreement - Twelve Alaska Airlines, Microsoft and Twelve partner to advance new form of sustainable aviation fuel - Alaska Airlines United Airlines Invests in Twelve for Sustainable Aviation Fuel - Carbon Credits 

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 GroupInfinium and Twelve raise a total of up to $1.7 billion towards eSAF production – GreenAir NewsMicrosoft backs SAF for Scope 3 business travel emissions in agreements with IAG and FEG – GreenAir News  British Airways owner IAG ups sustainable fuel intake with Infinium – Forbes 

In this episode, we speak with Suzanne Neufang, CEO of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), who shares how the world’s leading business travel association is transforming corporate travel to accelerate aviation decarbonisation through industry collaboration.Neufang discusses:How sustainability priorities amongst travel managers more than doubled from 8% in 2023 to 19% in 2024, though the industry baseline remains at just 1.3 out of 5 on GBTA's sustainability maturity scale.Why sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most promising decarbonisation pathway for aviation today, and how corporate customers must play an active role in stimulating market demand through SAF certificate purchases.How GBTA's Sustainability Acceleration Challenge mobilised over 240 companies to benchmark their decarbonisation efforts and identify best practices.Why GBTA takes a pragmatic rather than activist approach, focusing on harmonising standards across the complex corporate travel ecosystem to eliminate inefficiencies.How artificial intelligence holds great promise for optimising travel decisions and emissions tracking, with potential for 10-15% emissions reductions through more efficient air routing alone.Why business travel serves as a catalyst for broader aviation sustainability, given that corporate travellers are the frequent flyers responsible for most airline profits and emissions.Neufang also explains GBTA’s three-pronged strategy of bringing the industry together, rallying players around common standards, and building capacity at scale to move the entire travel industry towards more sustainable practices.If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Sally Davey, CEO of Travalyst, who shares how the not-for-profit coalition is transforming the travel industry through collaborative data initiatives. Check it out here. Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two’. Click here to learn more.Links & more:Global Business Travel Association - GBTA Sustainability - GBTA GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge - GBTA Foundation Business travel bounces back: spending forecast to hit record - Skift