Singapore Airlines backs next-generation SAF production

Singapore Airlines has agreed to purchase up to 4,800 tonnes of next-generation SAF from Aether Beacon, becoming the first airline to secure fuel produced using technology that converts waste carbon into aviation fuel. Pictured are: Mr Boris Mak, Vice President Sustainability, Singapore Airlines, and Mr Conor Madigan, CEO, Aether Fuels, at the signing of the Binding Offtake Agreement.

Summary:

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has signed an agreement to purchase up to 4,800 tonnes of next-generation Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Aether Beacon over three years, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2028.
The agreement makes SIA the first airline to purchase SAF from Project Beacon, which will use Aether’s proprietary Aurora technology to convert waste-derived carbon feedstocks into aviation fuel.
The partnership supports SIA’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and represents a further step towards scaling alternative SAF production pathways and accelerating aviation decarbonisation.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) – a Headline Partner of APEX FTE EXPO, Singapore, 18-19 November 2026 – has signed an agreement to purchase up to 4,800 tonnes of next-generation Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Aether Beacon Pte Ltd over three years, with deliveries commencing in 2028.

SIA is the first airline to purchase SAF produced at Project Beacon, Aether’s commercial production facility, which is being developed at Aster’s refining complex on Pulau Bukom in Singapore. The agreement marks SIA’s first purchase of SAF produced using new technology that converts waste carbon feedstocks into aviation fuel.

Project Beacon will use feedstocks such as biomethane and industrial waste gases to produce SAF using Aether’s Aurora technology. This offers an alternative to the hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway, which relies on more constrained lipid-based feedstocks. Aether uses its proprietary technology which innovates around the Fischer-Tropsch process to convert these waste-derived gases into liquid aviation fuel. The SAF produced will be certified under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

By 2031, Aether intends to start up its first large-scale commercial plant, with a production capacity at least 10 times larger than Beacon, as part of its planned expansion of its next-generation SAF production capacity.

“Supporting the development and adoption of SAF, and securing future supplies, are integral to SIA’s ambition of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Ms Lee Wen Fen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Singapore Airlines. “As the first airline to purchase SAF from Project Beacon, SIA is demonstrating demand for new lower-carbon fuel production pathways in Singapore. We will continue to work with partners globally to scale SAF production, strengthen the aviation industry’s sustainability ecosystem, and support the transition to more sustainable air travel.”

Mr Conor Madigan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aether Fuels, commented: “When we signed our MoU with Singapore Airlines last year, Project Beacon had not yet been announced. Since then, we have selected Singapore as the home of our first commercial facility and built critical partnerships across the local value chain. Singapore is building a strong ecosystem for aviation decarbonisation through refining and aviation infrastructure, investment support, sustainability policies, and utilising their position as a global aviation hub. This binding agreement is an important next step and a strong signal of committed demand from a leading global airline – exactly the type of collaboration needed to create the commercial conditions to bring new SAF pathways to scale.”