Rates begin with an additional €1 per flight within Europe, rising to €4 for intercontinental economy class flights and up to €12 for a long-haul business class fare. It will be levied on flights operated by Air France, KLM and budget brand Transavia to offset the cost of SAF, which is several times more expensive than conventional kerosene.

“Today, SAF production worldwide covers only around 0.1% of the total fuel usage of the aviation industry. We need to speed up the production,” said Fahmi Mahjoub, general manager, Air France-KLM UK & Ireland.  

“And that’s why we are now gradually incorporating SAF in our flights departing from France and the Netherlands as of January 2022. Since the majority of Air France and KLM passengers have a stopover or a transfer in France or the Netherlands, we are happy to offer most of our customers a more sustainable product.” 

Air France-KLM Group’s decarbonisation aim is to increase SAF as part of the total fuel mix as production increases, with a target of 5% in 2030 and “up to 63%” in 2050.

The levy will finance the standard 0.5% SAF being added to KLM’s fuel mix. Passengers can also choose to make increased contributions to further lower their carbon footprint.

Mahjoub added every customer could now decide how sustainably they wanted to fly.

“We know that there is a big demand for a more sustainable aviation and we are convinced that our customers will appreciate the option to add as much SAF as they would like,” he said.

Departures from France are now covered by laws requiring a 1% SAF fuel blend, with the levy being included in ticket prices to cover this.