Amadeus has acquired a minority stake in Caphenia, as a part of its wider commitment to support aviation industry towards reaching sustainability goals. Caphenia is a producer of synthesis gas, the feedstock of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
The investment will offer Amadeus enhanced visibility into the challenges of the SAF sector, allowing the company to further explore the role it can play in this key element of the journey to net zero by 2050.
As of now, Caphenia is in an advanced stage of development, has established an innovative approach to produce synthesis gas from a mixture of biogas, CO2, water and electricity. This can be used to produce a variety of renewable fuels, with up to a 92% reduction of CO2 emissions compared to the fossil reference value.
Mark Misselhorn, chief executive of Caphenia, said: “Our process is affordable using one sixth of the electricity needed for alternative SAF production methods and scalable. We have an ambition to offer large scale production by 2028, aiming to fill the gap between anticipated SAF demand and current supply. The technology of cost-effective, producible SAF means the greatest potential for CO2 savings and an important element that, in combination with others, may help in meeting net zero targets.”
Caphenia has plans to commence production next year and is forecasting to produce ten million litres of SAF by 2027, planning to increase to over 100 million litres by 2030 and over one billion litres before 2035.
Suzanna Chiu, head of ventures, Amadeus said: “At Amadeus, we are committed to supporting the move to sustainable travel. We monitor industry trends and developments to determine the most effective ways we can fulfil this ambition and are delighted to act today with the investment in an innovative SAF company. The transaction represents a step forward in our sustainability strategy, taking the perspective from a different part of the value chain in the industry.”