Budapest Airport, the operator of the Hungarian capital’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport and part of the VINCI Airports network, has achieved an important milestone in sustainability. Budapest Airport’s subsidiary, Airport Fuel Supply Ltd., has successfully passed the audit criteria for the introduction of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Certification is a prerequisite for the airport operator to provide airlines with the minimum 2% sustainable aviation fuel from January 1, 2025, as required by the relevant regulation.
A statement on the Budapest Airport website stresses that one of the biggest current challenges for airports operators is combining the increase of air mobility demand with the need to protect the climate. In addition to all actions implemented to reduce direct airport emissions (such as energy efficiency, the electrification of vehicles, the development of renewables, etc.), in the short to medium term, the introduction and wider use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is currently one of the solutions to act on airport scope 3, by reducing aircraft emissions.
Budapest Airport tested the commercial use of SAF in 2023, in cooperation with MOL, Wizz Air and AFS Ltd., with the aim of preparing Budapest Airport’s fuel supply system for the obligation coming into force in 2025, which requires airport operators above a certain level of traffic to provide a minimum 2% sustainable aviation fuel to airlines from the beginning of this year. A prerequisite for fulfilling this obligation is to meet a stringent set of sustainability criteria, which Budapest Airport’s subsidiary, AFS Ltd. successfully passed last November, and thus acquired the required ISCC EU certification.
The raw materials used in the production of SAF include vegetable or animal fats, that cannot be recycled elsewhere, which are converted into a premium-quality renewable product through special processes, thus reducing the greenhouse gases emitted by aircraft. This new generation of sustainably produced fuel, in its pure form, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% over its lifecycle, compared to fossil jet fuel. SAF is currently permitted to be blended with conventional fossil-based kerosene of up to 50%, to ensure compatibility with aircraft, engines and fueling systems. SAF is also compatible with existing airport infrastructure, minimizing additional investments.
“Sustainable aviation fuel emits about 80% less carbon dioxide compared to conventional kerosene and can therefore make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the aviation industry,” the CEO of Budapest Airport, Francois Berisot emphasized. He also underlined that “the availability of sustainable aviation fuel at Budapest Airport is a very important milestone and will greatly contribute to the future reduction of Budapest Airport’s indirect carbon emissions from its corporate value chain activities.”
In addition to reducing indirect emissions, and in line with VINCI Airport’s environmental policy, Budapest Airport’s priority is to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions from direct airport operations by over 90% by 2030 at the latest, and achieve Airports Council International’s (ACI Europe) Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 5, which certifies that the airport has reached and maintains a net zero carbon balance in its direct scopes (Scopes 1 and 2) and has addressed indirect emissions sources (Scope 3).


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