The agreement with fuel firm Neste Oyi will see 2.5 million litres (2,000 metric tonnes) of neat SAF delivered in the next few months.

SAF is blended with traditional kerosene and Holly Boyd-Boland, the airlines’ vice president, corporate development, said the supply was “only enough to operate 140 flights between London and New York” based on a 35% blend with 65% traditional kerosene, but added: “It’s a starting point.”

A barrier to SAF adoption by airlines is the supply issue, with resources currently limited and expensive.

Boyd-Boland said: “To meet our 10% SAF target in 2030 we need to deliver this volume more than 70 times over, requiring cross industry and government action to support commercialisation of SAF at scale, particularly in the UK.”

Neste’s SAF is made from renewable waste and residue raw materials. It claims the fuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional fossil jet fuel. 

Jonathan Wood, Neste’s vice president renewable aviation, added: “We are ready to support the aviation industry and UK government’s policy ambitions to increase the use of SAF to at least 10% by 2030. We need to act now - SAF is a proven solution with clear climate benefits and is already available today.”