Swiss International Air Lines announced a new partnership with aviation technology startup Metafuels aimed at supporting the development and scale-up of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) solutions.
Generally produced from sustainable resources, like waste oils and agricultural residues, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is seen as one of the key tools to help decarbonize the aviation industry in the near- to medium-term. According to a recent report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), however, while SAF production nearly doubled in 2025, it still accounted for just 0.6% of airlines’ total fuel consumption. Efforts to meaningfully increase the production of SAF face barriers including high initial costs and feedstock challenges.
Founded in 2021, Zurich-based Metafuels develops technology to produce synthetic jet fuel from captured CO₂ and green hydrogen, with the goal of making e-SAF cost-competitive with conventional jet fuel over the long term. The company’s “aerobrew” process converts sustainable methanol, produced from renewable energy, water and carbon dioxide, into aviation fuel, while also offering flexibility in the raw materials used for feedstock, including biomethanol or e-methanol.
Under the new partnership, the companies said that they will jointly drive and promote the further development and the bringing to market of viable SAF solutions, with Swiss and its parent company Lufthansa Group also considering committing long-term to SAF procurement contracts.
Saurabh Kapoor, CEO of Metafuels said:
“We are united with SWISS in our shared objective of paving a viable and scalable way to providing lower-emission air travel. With both rising demand projected and tighter regulatory provisions ahead, synthetic fuels will only gain in importance.”
Jens Fehlinger, CEO of Swiss, added:
“As an airline, we are doing everything within our power to actively drive the transformation of aviation forward. At the same time, it is clear that achieving our goals will now require industrial-scale production. Sustainable fuels must become available much faster, at affordable prices and in significantly larger quantities in the future.”
