In this special compilation episode, recorded live at the Dubai Airshow 2025, five aviation industry leaders share their perspectives on whether the Middle East can balance rapid aviation growth with sustainability goals.

Featuring insights from:

• Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports
• Julien Manhès, Head of SAF and CDR, Airbus
• Yousif Bin Saeed Al Lootah, CEO, Lootah Biofuels
• Darren Hulst, Vice President of Commercial Marketing, Boeing
• Michel Azar-Hmouda, President of Commercial Aviation, CAE

Together, they answer one central question: where does the Middle East have the greatest opportunity to lead in sustainable aviation, and what could stand in the way? 

Throughout the episode, the aviation leaders explore the region’s unique advantages, including large scale infrastructure, abundant renewable energy, strategic geography, and strong political commitment, positioning it as a proving ground for next generation sustainable aviation technologies. They also address the challenges that can potentially threaten progress, from workforce development and supply chain alignment to the difficulty of turning ambition into reality.

This is a compilation of highlights from five in-depth conversations. Stay tuned for the full interviews on our Sustainability In The Air platform.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love all the conversations we had through the year with dozens of industry executives, technology leaders and scientists. Check out the archive here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Sponsor message: This episode was recorded live in partnership with the Dubai Airshow 2025 and CAE.

For nearly 80 years, CAE has delivered cutting-edge training and simulation solutions across 240 sites in over 40 countries, preparing aviation professionals for critical moments while putting sustainability at the center of what they do.

In this episode, we speak with Julia Fidler, former Director of Market Development for Energy, Connectivity, and Sustainability at Microsoft, who shares how the company built partnerships that are reshaping corporate approaches to scope 3 emissions.

Fidler discusses:

• How Microsoft’s early carbon fee on scope 1, 2, and 3.6 emissions created the foundation for treating business travel not just as a measurable category, but as a gateway to solving fuel emissions.
• How Microsoft’s Sustainability Grant Program supported early exploration of emerging SAF markets through seed funding for consulting guidance and partnerships, creating a model for corporate innovation in hard-to-abate sectors.
• Why Microsoft chose to support the most expensive SAF pathway (e-fuels/power-to-liquids) and how the concept of “green premium” enabled a three-way collaboration between Microsoft, Alaska Airlines, and Twelve.
• How the partnership with IAG and the Chooose removed barriers for hundreds of Microsoft suppliers to purchase SAF for the first time.
• Why Microsoft’s approach balanced carbon removal procurement with SAF investment alongside demand management, treating these not as competing priorities but as complementary strategies.

Fiddler also shares her journey from corporate travel management to leading industry-defining collaborations with airlines and SAF producers, and discusses how she’ll now be scaling these lessons globally through her new role at the RSB.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Etosha Cave, Co-founder & Chief Science Officer of Twelve, who shares how the carbon transformation company harnesses CO2 from industrial waste streams to produce e-fuels. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Microsoft Sustainability 

Alaska Airlines teams with Microsoft to aid development of Twelve’s E-Jet power-to-liquid fuel - GreenAir News 

How Microsoft is using an internal carbon fee to reach its carbon negative goal - Microsoft Industry Blogs  

Microsoft signs sustainable aviation fuel purchase deal with IAG to tackle Scope 3 emissions - ESG Today 

Why Twelve believes power-to-liquids will revolutionise sustainable aviation fuel production - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Matthew Ridley, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at the oneworld Alliance, who shares the story behind the groundbreaking $150 million Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) fund launched in partnership with the alliance’s member airlines and Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV).

Ridley discusses:

• The alliance investment advantage: How pooling resources across oneworld members creates access to world-class venture capital expertise, superior deal flow, more diverse portfolios, and geographical networks.
• Breakthrough Energy’s unprecedented value: Why partnering with BEV provides access to talent airlines struggle to attract, plus synergies with investments in nuclear fusion, energy transmission, and geologic hydrogen.
• Next-generation focus vs. current needs: How the oneworld BEV fund targets technologies that can take aviation beyond 5-10% SAF adoption to truly change the trajectory of decarbonisation, complementing existing investments.
• Breaking the alliance mould: How oneworld moved beyond traditional codeshares and interlining to tackle “initiatives of scale”, and how they attracted Singapore Airlines to join despite not being a oneworld member.
• Reframing aviation’s challenge: Why the problem isn’t aviation itself, but rather the emissions from jet fuel, the only aspect of flight that hasn’t changed since the Kitty Hawk.

Ridley also shares insights from his seven years building IAG’s Hangar 51, where he led first-mover investments in ZeroAvia and LanzaJet, and explains why SAF isn’t a transition fuel but rather a permanent solution once emissions are addressed.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Pasha Saleh, Head of Corporate Development at Alaska Airlines, who shares how the airline is investing in sustainable aviation technologies to achieve its ambitious climate goals. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Sustainability - oneworld 

oneworld becomes first airline alliance to join IATA CO2 connect - IATA 

oneworld airline partners join with Breakthrough Energy Ventures to invest in new SAF technologies - GreenAir News 

How Alaska Star Ventures is funding the future of sustainable aviation - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Mar Fernández-Méndez, founder of MacroCarbon and professor at the University of Bremen, about her journey from Arctic ice researcher to seaweed entrepreneur. 

Dr. Fernández shares how she's turning pelagic sargassum into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) while creating a carbon-negative process that enhances marine biodiversity.

Dr. Fernández discusses:

• How Sargassum differs from other algae approaches, avoiding the pitfalls that have plagued microalgae biofuel attempts for decades.
• MacroCarbon's integrated biorefinery that produces multiple revenue streams: bio-stimulants for agriculture, biochar for permanent carbon sequestration, carbon black for tyres and batteries, and ultimately SAF through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
• The company's unique approach to hydrogen production, generating its own hydrogen internally rather than requiring external green hydrogen inputs.
• Competitive economics at scale: producing SAF for lower than current market biofuel prices, while being species-agnostic and able to use any brown or green seaweed.
• The roadmap from pilot to first-of-a-kind commercial facility in the Canary Islands, then expansion to Morocco, Azores, Cape Verde, and the Caribbean.
• Balancing academia and entrepreneurship: maintaining her professorship while commercialising proven technology, and the parallels between academic grant-writing and startup fundraising.
• The importance of storytelling in deep tech, moving beyond just having good data to communicating vision effectively for investors.
• The "BlueSaf Plus" vision for 2035: carbon-negative biofuels that enhance marine biodiversity by maintaining floating ecosystems, proving we can have both healthy oceans and sustainable aviation.
  
  

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry's challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book 'Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2'. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It's about time.

Links & more:

• MacroCarbon
• Dr. Mar Fernández-Méndez - Alfred Wegener Institute
• Dr. Mar Fernández-Méndez - LinkedIn
• Canary Islands Marine Science & Technology Park
• EU ReFuelEU Aviation Mandate

In this episode, we speak with Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), who shares how the airport has committed to achieving net zero by 2030, and the detailed roadmap they’ve developed to get there.

Vrooman discusses:

• YVR’s accelerated net zero timeline: How they moved from a 2040 target to 2030 by creating a detailed, measurable roadmap with component parts that track progress.
• Four pathways to net zero: Capital build improvements (including Canada’s largest geo-exchange system with over 800 wells), conservation initiatives, sustainable fuels adoption, and comprehensive data monitoring.
• Airports’ role in energy transition: How centrally providing electrification and sustainable energy infrastructure to all airport users creates far greater impact than individual airline or tenant initiatives, positioning airports as critical energy hubs.
• Building British Columbia’s SAF ecosystem: YVR’s partnerships with Air Canada, the provincial government, and regional airports to address the SAF supply chain challenge.
• ACI Level 4+ certification and accountability: Why data-driven accreditation matters for validating progress, enabling peer collaboration, and ensuring return on investment.
• The SAF supply-demand paradox: Airlines are willing to purchase SAF and demand exists, but inconsistent supply remains the critical bottleneck.

Vrooman also shares leadership insights from her past roles, including leading Vancity Credit Union to achieve net zero and serving as British Columbia’s youngest female Deputy Finance Minister, where she helped design North America’s first carbon tax. 

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), who shares her vision for transforming the airport into a sustainable aviation hub. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Vancouver International Airport - YVR

From ground to sky: four sustainability actions at YVR - YVR

How YVR is reimagining the airport experience by blending CX, commercial innovation, and sustainability - FTE  

Why airports should become energy innovation hubs, not just transport hubs - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Trevor Best, Co-founder and CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics, who shares how his company’s proprietary photocatalytic technology converts waste biogas into sustainable aviation fuel, and has the potential to reach fossil jet fuel parity. 

Best discusses:

• NovaSAF’s unique value proposition: converting biogas from landfills, dairy farms, and wastewater treatment plants into SAF, simultaneously addressing methane emissions whilst decarbonising aviation transport.
• The technology’s competitive advantage: using light instead of heat which enables the use of raw biogas without extensive cleanup, scaling efficiently at smaller sites, and increasing yield by incorporating CO2 into the fuel rather than separating it out.
• Strategic targeting of stranded biogas assets that are far from natural gas grids, which helps secure feedstock at low prices $5-6 per MMBtu, making jet fuel parity achievable.
• How Syzygy is building the world’s first biogas-to-SAF plant in Uruguay, that can produce 400,000 gallons of SAF anually, serving as proof of concept before scaling to 100,000 tons per year by 2030 through clustered developments.
• The global biogas opportunity: the International Energy Agency estimates reserves could theoretically produce 580 million tons per year of SAF, exceeding total global jet fuel consumption, though 95% remains stranded today.

Best also shares his leadership philosophy: the importance of listening over talking, the inevitability of failure in entrepreneurship, and why persistence matters more than avoiding mistakes.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Dave Kettner, President and General Counsel at Virent, who shares the company’s pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future in aviation. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Syzygy Plasmonics

Syzygy Plasmonics begins development of the world's first electrified biogas-to-SAF plant - PR Newswire

Syzygy Plasmonics outlines dual-certified, cost effective RFNBO and Bio SAF solution as Europe calls for urgent action on Net-Zero aviation - BioEnergy Times

Syzygy Plasmonics and Velocys partner for sustainable aviation fuel production in Uruguay - ChemAnalyst    

In this episode, we speak with Silvia Pugliese and Monica Larrazabal, co-founders of Norma and the only all-female founding team among the c.150 direct air capture startups operating today. They share how their breakthrough supercapacitor approach could drastically slash the energy requirements of carbon capture.

Pugliese and Larrazabal discuss:

• How they discovered a way to "cheat" on energy requirements by combining supercapacitor energy storage technology with CO2 capture, creating a hybrid device that recycles energy through each capture cycle.
• Their modular approach with desk-sized units that can be deployed anywhere, contrasting with competitors' massive industrial facilities requiring hundreds of millions in funding.
• The company's measured approach to cost projections, deliberately avoiding the over-promising that has plagued the DAC industry, while still targeting dramatic improvements over current $600-1000 per tonne costs.
• Securing pre-seed funding led by Contrarian VC, known for rigorous DAC due diligence, and landing MilkyWire as their first commercial client despite being in early development stages.
• Their 2025-2030 roadmap: pilot testing in 2026, first commercial facility by 2029, and targeting megatonne-scale operations by 2030.
• How airlines could use their CO2 for e-fuel production, with potential applications ranging from direct air capture and storage to point source capture, leveraging the technology's versatility.

The founders also discuss the challenges of being female entrepreneurs in a male-dominated deep tech sector, their base in central Paris near the Marie Curie museum, and their vision of normalising female-led climate tech companies by 2035.

Larrazabal explains why the DAC industry is in its "innovation decade" similar to renewable energy in the 1960s-70s, and why they believe they've found the "solar PV moment" for carbon capture.

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry's challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book 'Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2'. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It's about time.

Links & more:

• Norma
• Contrarian VC
• MilkyWire
• Heirloom Carbon (Monica's former employer)
• Marble - Climate Tech Accelerator (where Norma was incubated)

In this episode, we speak with Nina Marczell, Senior Vice President of Industrial Sales & Marketing for Fuels & Feedstock at OMV, who shares how the integrated energy company is leading sustainable aviation fuel development from early production to commercial scale across Europe.

Marczell discusses:

1. OMV's early-mover advantage, launching SAF production at their Austrian refinery in 2022 – well ahead of EU mandates – starting with 2,000 tonnes through co-processing and scaling to 4,000 tonnes.
2. Europe's first major standalone SAF facility in Romania, featuring 250,000 tonnes annual capacity for SAF and renewable diesel, uniquely integrated with green hydrogen plants that serve both as feedstock and to decarbonise OMV's own refinery operations.
3. Strategic partnerships including groundbreaking collaboration with Airbus on feedstock acceleration, book-and-claim system development, and joint European market advocacy, plus an innovative SAF certificate programme with Microsoft.
4. Why SAF should be considered a premium product with distinct environmental attributes rather than pursuing cost parity with conventional jet fuel.
5. Critical challenges with EU RefuelEU mandate implementation, particularly the steep jumps from 2% to 6% to 20% SAF requirements.
6. OMV's ambitious target to produce up to 1.5 million tonnes of renewable fuels annually by 2030.

If you LOVED this episode, you'll also love the conversation we had with Etosha Cave, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Twelve. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & more:

New book: Sustainability in the Air, Vol Two - SimpliFlying

Sustainable Aviation Fuel - OMV

Austria’s OMV signs deals to supply almost one million tonnes of SAF to Lufthansa Group and Ryanair – GreenAir News 

OMV adds new processing plant at Schwechat refinery - Oil & Gas Journal 

OMV Petrom approves renewable fuels plant for Petrobrazi refinery - Oil & Gas Journal

Airbus, OMV announce SAF collaboration to reduce carbon - Airport Technology 

OMV and Microsoft accelerate decarbonization of corporate air travel and its supply chain logistics - OMV 

In this episode, we speak with Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, who shares how the clean propulsion systems company is championing hydrogen-electric engines that could transform commercial aviation.

Miftakhov discusses:

• ZeroAvia’s vertical integration strategy for developing in-house fuel cells, power electronics, and motors.
• The company’s global expansion with Centres of Excellence in Seattle for electric propulsion systems, Kemble for aircraft integration, and the newly announced Glasgow facility for hydrogen fuel cells.
• Major commercial traction with 3,000 engines ordered worth $10 billion and another 5,000 in the pipeline, representing up to 8% of the global commercial engine market, with customers including American Airlines and backing from Airbus as lead investor.
• The certification milestone of achieving G1 approval from the FAA for their 600-kilowatt engine, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2027 for 10-20 seat aircraft, followed by larger regional aircraft in the early 2030s.
• ZeroAvia’s liquid hydrogen developments for longer-range aircraft, including plans to eliminate contrail formation by condensing water vapour at altitude and releasing it as ice below the typical contrail formation zone.
  
  

Miftakhov also explains why he believes sustainable aviation fuel is ultimately a transition technology, arguing that hydrogen offers superior economics by avoiding the energy-intensive processes required to create synthetic fuels whilst delivering three times better efficiency through fuel cells versus combustion engines.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Daniel Rosen Jacobson, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Elysian Aircraft, who shares the startup’s unique approach to electric aviation. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & more:

ZeroAvia 

ZeroAvia achieves FAA milestone for 600 kW electric aircraft propulsion system certification - Charged EVs  

American Airlines signs landmark deal with ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines, ushering in a greener era for regional aviation - Travel And Tour World 

ZeroAvia secures nine new patents to scale hydrogen fuel cell technology for regional aviation - Hydrogen Fuel News 

In this episode, we speak with Luke Farajallah, CEO of Loganair, UK's largest regional airline that operates the world's shortest commercial flight and the only airline globally that lands commercially on a beach.

Farajallah discusses:

1. Loganair's unique "fishing in a big pond" approach to sustainable aviation, investing simultaneously in SAF, hybrid-electric aircraft with Heart Aerospace, and hydrogen propulsion with ZeroAvia rather than betting on a single technology.
2. Why regional airlines are better positioned than major carriers to pioneer sustainable aviation, given their shorter routes, smaller aircraft, and wider technology options beyond expensive, imported sustainable aviation fuel.
3. The company's mandatory £1 carbon offset programme included in every ticket, funding local environmental projects across Scotland through their Green Skies initiative, achieving near-zero customer resistance.
4. Strategic partnerships, including equipping Embraer aircraft with 130kg water vapour sensors for the UK Met Office to study contrail environmental impacts, and plans for the world's first hydrogen-powered commercial flight from Orkney.

As a leader who transformed Loganair's operational performance from 22nd to 2nd place in European rankings in just 12 months, Farajallah brings a results-driven approach to balancing commercial viability with environmental responsibility whilst serving communities that depend entirely on aviation connectivity.

If you LOVED this episode, you'll also love the conversation we had with Sally Davey, CEO of Travelyst. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & more:

New book: Sustainability in the Air, Vol Two - SimpliFlying

Loganair, ZeroAvia ready 2500 kW electric motor for hydrogen aviation future - Electrek

Loganair aiming to deliver the world’s first commercial hydrogen-fuel aircraft route - Glasgow Chamber of Commerce 

Loganair partners with Heart Aerospace on hybrid-electric aircraft use - Airport Technology 

Sustainability In The Air (2 book series) Paperback Edition - Amazon 

How Travalyst is transforming tourism through data-driven collaboration - SimpliFlying