Planes at Cluj International Airport start using sustainable aviation fuel provided by OMV Petrom

OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in Southeast Europe, supplies Cluj International Airport Avram Iancu with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in 2025, an important step towards reducing carbon emissions in air transportation. Through this partnership, Cluj International Airport and OMV Petrom reaffirm their commitment to supporting the energy transition and adopting of sustainable solutions in the aviation sector.

Starting January 2025, aircrafts taking off from Cluj airport, the second largest airport in Romania, are being fuelled with aviation fuel mixed with 2% SAF, thus reducing the environmental impact. Nearly 1,800 flights were operated in January and February using this fuel, covering all departures from the airport.

“We are proud to contribute to the introduction of sustainable aviation fuel at Cluj International Airport. SAF is produced from renewable raw materials such as vegetable oils and animal fats, transformed into fuels with properties similar to conventional kerosene using innovative technologies. At OMV Petrom, we have started construction works on a EUR 750 million investment so that, starting 2028, we can produce such fuels in Romania, at the Petrobrazi refinery. We believe in Romania’s potential to become a regional hub for such fuels,” said Radu Căprău, member of the OMV Petrom Executive Board responsible for Refining and Marketing.

„Together with our supplier OMV Petrom, we have managed to initiate the process by which the aircrafts operating flights at Cluj International Airport will be fueled with sustainable aviation fuels. This is another important goal we have achieved to fulfill our commitments to reduce carbon emissions and support less polluting air transport,” said David Ciceo, General Manager of Cluj International Airport.

With nearly 3.3 million passengers in 2024, Avram Iancu Airport in Cluj is the largest regional airport in Romania and the second largest airport in the country, after Otopeni. As part of efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, in addition to supplying sustainable aviation fuel, the airport has also acquired two electric aircraft de-icing/anti-icing vehicles and an electric bus to ensure passengers’ transport from the terminal to the planes.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are fuels produced by processing renewable raw materials, such as used oils and animal fats. Using advanced refining processes and green hydrogen, these materials are transformed to have characteristics similar to conventional kerosene. SAF can be dropped straight into existing infrastructure and aircraft. It has the potential to provide a lifecycle carbon reduction of up to 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces. SAF will play a really important role in meeting the aviation industry’s carbon reduction targets.

The ReFuelEU Aviation regulation mandates the use of sustainable aviation fuels on European Union airports in a minimum proportion of 2% starting January 1, 2025, with a gradual increase in the use of SAF up to 6% by 2030.