Sustainability In The Air

In this episode, we speak with Conor Madigan, founder and CEO of Aether Fuels, a climate technology company converting abundant waste carbon into low-cost sustainable fuels for aviation and ocean shipping. Madigan is one of the few founders approaching the SAF cost problem from an engineering-first, problem-first standpoint.

He discusses:

• A problem-first approach to company building: Why Madigan began with a blank sheet of paper in 2020, fixed on the problem before choosing a technology, and only then exclusively licensed foundational technology from Chicago-area research institute GTI Energy.
• Moving beyond the HEFA feedstock ceiling: Why today's dominant SAF process, which converts waste fats, oils and greases, cannot keep pace with projected SAF demand demand as mandates tighten towards 2030.
• A contrarian bet against cheap hydrogen: Why Aether chose in 2022 to prioritise biogas, biomass and industrial off-gases over CO2-and-hydrogen e-fuels, judging that optimistic hydrogen price forecasts were unlikely to hold.
• The Aether Aurora technology: How tri-conversion merges two reaction steps into one reactor, how an electrified reactor lifts yield, and how novel catalysts cut the cost of fuel upgrading, all aimed at the capital cost that makes waste-fed plants expensive.
• Why Singapore won Project Beacon: How a fast-moving partnership with Aster, predictable government policy and ties to Temasek made Singapore the site of Aether's first commercial plant, and what other countries can learn from the model.
• Discipline on offtakes and the real scaling bottleneck: Why Aether has resisted investor pressure to sign speculative offtake agreements, and why Madigan sees project development and financing, not chemistry, as the constraint on scaling SAF.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Synhelion’s Founder and CEO Philipp Furler who unpacked how the Swiss technology company is working to scale synthetic fuels by tackling some of the fundamental cost and infrastructure barriers facing SAF today. 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: 

Aether Fuels 

Aster and Aether Fuels partner on the first next-generation commercial SAF plant in Singapore 

RTI supports Aether Fuels in scaling sustainable aviation fuel 

Singapore Airlines Group and Aether Fuels sign MoU for sustainable aviation fuel

Aster and Aether Fuels Partner on the First Next-Generation Commercial Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plant in Singapore 

In this episode, we speak with Maria del Mar Whittaker, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Abra Group, the holding company behind airlines like Avianca and Gol. 

Whittaker discusses:

• Aviation as an essential service: Why flying in Latin America is an essential service because the geography of the continent makes road and rail alternatives impractical for several routes.
• Balancing growth and sustainability: How Avianca grew by nearly 20% between 2019 and 2024 while cutting its emissions intensity by a similar margin.
• A cross-border compliance book-and-claim mechanism: How Abra Group has developed a novel proposal under which SAF produced in Brazil can be physically used domestically, while Japanese entities can purchase the corresponding SAF certificates, effectively subsidising the green premium for Brazilian airlines and creating bankable demand that can unlock project financing.
• Revenue certainty mechanisms and double-auction systems: How Abra Group is proposing a multilateral-funded revenue certainty mechanism for Brazil, modelled loosely on the UK’s approach.
• A systems-level view of SAF sustainability: Why Whittaker insists that SAF feedstock decisions must account for water, biodiversity, and indirect land use impacts at a systemic level.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Lahiru Ranasinghe, Director of Sustainability at easyJet, who shares what it takes to move a major low-cost carrier from a sustainability blueprint to real-world results. 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: 

Avianca’s growing connectivity while improving overall emission performance

Abra and Sumitomo partner to unlock industry solutions to airline decarbonisation in Brazil - Biofuels International

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement - UNFCCC 

Japan’s Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) 

In this episode, we speak with Lahiru Ranasinghe, Director of Sustainability at easyJet, who shares what it takes to move a major low-cost carrier from a sustainability blueprint to real-world results.

He discusses:

• From strategy to execution: How easyJet’s net zero roadmap has evolved from a planning document into an operational programme — and why the shift from building a strategy to delivering it changes everything about how sustainability operates within the business.
• Fleet renewal and the gauge advantage: Why replacing A319s with A320NEO and A321NEO aircraft is one of the clearest wins available right now.
• SAF’s structural scaling problem: Why easyJet has deliberately not committed its roadmap to uplifting SAF beyond mandated levels, and the structural reason why the first-mover advantage in SAF works in reverse compared to aircraft procurement.
• Long-term technology bets: The significance of the completed Rolls Royce hydrogen gas turbine engine test at NASA Stennis, what it means for narrow-body hydrogen propulsion at the 30,000-pound-thrust level the industry needs, and 
• Partnership with JetZero: How JetZero’s blended-wing-body (BWB) plane could change the aerodynamics of the aircraft and deliver 50% aerodynamic efficiency savings.
• Contrails and the airspace connection: Why easyJet sees contrail avoidance as an opportunity to be a rule-maker rather than a rule-taker, and why effective contrail management cannot be separated from the broader project of airspace modernisation.
• Regulatory frameworks and the wait-and-see problem: How both RefuelEU and the UK Revenue Certainty Mechanism have successfully created demand certainty but have inadvertently encouraged producers to wait for more favourable conditions before committing to production.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Tom O’Leary, CEO & co-founder of JetZero, who shares how the company is developing the world’s first commercial blended wing body aircraft. 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: 

Our destination is net zero - easyJet 

easyJet and Rolls-Royce complete hydrogen engine test - Fuel Cells Works 

ATOBA, easyJet and World Fuel sign MoU for long-term supply of SAF - Biofuels International 

easyJet believes hydrogen propulsion is the future of short-haul flying - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Bruce Fleming, CEO of Montana Renewables, the leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel in the United States. 

Rather than building a new SAF facility from the ground up, Montana Renewables converted a portion of an existing crude oil refinery in Great Falls, Montana to process feedstocks including used cooking oil, agricultural waste, and emerging crops into SAF, renewable diesel, and renewable hydrogen.

Fleming discusses:

• The retrofit model: Why converting an existing crude oil refinery is a fundamentally different capital proposition from building a greenfield SAF plant.
• Feedstock agnosticism: Why the company is indifferent to which renewable feedstocks run through its system, including its claim to be the first producer to have made SAF from camelina, a cover crop that does not compete with food production and carries a very low carbon intensity score.
• The investment drought: Why private capital has effectively exited the SAF space, and the direct link between regulatory unpredictability and the absence of long-term investment. 
• The book-and-claim efficiency case: Why separating the physical movement of SAF from its associated emissions certificate could save a dollar per gallon in logistics costs, and how a global book-and-claim system could accelerate SAF adoption.
• Fuelling small, not large: Why the immediate SAF opportunity lies in general aviation and regional operations rather than long-haul commercial carriers.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Adam Klauber, Chief Sustainability Officer at World Energy, who shares how the book-and-claim model has evolved from a concept to a practical mechanism for scaling corporate demand for SAF. 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: 

Montana Renewables 

Sustainable Aviation Fuel - Montana Renewables 

Montana Renewables and World Energy join forces to drive efficiency and scale in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) deliveries - World Energy 

Montana Renewables launches MaxSAF™ Blended, accelerating SAF supply - ChemAnalyst   

In this episode, we speak with Martina Di Palma and Achilleas Achilleos, Sustainable Aviation Officer and Strategic Programs Officer respectively at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). 

They discuss:

• Why existing CO2 calculators fall short: How today’s flight emissions tools rely on estimates rather than actual fuel burn data.
• The regulatory foundation: How the Flight Emissions Label (FEL) sits within Article 14 of the RefuelEU Aviation regulation, and why EASA is confident the scheme is here to stay regardless of whether it becomes mandatory.
• The first-mover dilemma: Why some airlines pushed back against early adoption of the FEL, what the genuine commercial risks of being first are.
• SAF integration as an incentive mechanism: How the label discounts CO2 emissions based on SAF use, why this creates a direct reputational and financial incentive for airlines to increase SAF uptake, and how EASA is working with airlines including Air France KLM to optimise SAF accounting within the label.
• Label 2 and the road ahead: What the next phase of development could include, and why EASA has made its flight emissions calculator open-source in the hope that other regions will adopt a similar standard.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Rachel Gardner-Poole from NATS, who shares how GAIN (Green Aviation Insights Network) is bringing together air navigation service providers from around the world to optimise flight paths and reduce emissions. 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: 

EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

Flight Emissions Label (FEL) 

RefuelEU Aviation Regulation - European Commission 

Google Travel Impact Model 

DigiMove - EU Digital Transport and Logistics Forum

In this episode, Dirk Singer speaks with Meg Gentle, Executive Director at HIF Global, about how synthetic fuels and waste-based pathways could reshape the economics of sustainable aviation fuel.

Gentle discusses:

• Why Chile’s exceptional wind resources made it the starting point for HIF’s first e-fuels facility, and how that model is now being replicated globally
• How e-fuels are produced by combining green hydrogen with captured CO2 to create transportable liquid fuels like methanol and jet fuel
• Why HIF Global is pursuing two SAF pathways in parallel: e-methanol-to-jet for Europe and RNG-based SAF for the US
• How waste-based fuels, particularly those derived from methane emissions, can achieve very low or even negative carbon intensity
• Why the real bottleneck to scaling SAF is not technology or capital, but long-term policy certainty and “early mover protection”
• How SAF markets could evolve toward a carbon intensity-based pricing model, where fuels compete on dollars per tonne of CO2 abated rather than feedstock or pathway

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with James Hygate, CEO of Firefly Green Fuels, who discusses the company’s novel approach that turns sewage into jet fuel. 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:

HIF Global

HIF Haru Oni: The first operating e-Fuels facility in the world - HIF Global  

HIF Global and eFuel One ink deal for gigawatt-scale green hydrogen and methanol project in Uruguay - Fuel Cells Works 

HIF Global to provide green hydrogen-based fuels for tourists in southern Chile and Antarctica this summer - Hydrogen Insight 

In this episode, we speak with Steven Fitzgerald, Director of Sustainability and Finance at Ryanair, who shares how Europe's largest low-cost carrier is navigating the tension between aggressive growth targets and decarbonisation commitments.

Fitzgerald discusses:

• Ryanair's early SAF commitment before mandates existed: Why the airline set a 12.5% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) target for 2030 five years ago, and how they've now secured access to 80% of that volume.
• The true cost of ETS compliance: How Ryanair expects to spend between €1.4 and €1.5 billion next year complying with the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and SAF mandates, and why the geographic patchwork of carbon pricing creates competitive distortions that policy needs to address.
• Investing in pre-certification research: The €4 million partnership with Trinity College Dublin, funding pre-certification screening tools that can predict SAF viscosity and density using just one gram of fuel, de-risking the approval process for new pathways and accelerating 2G and 3G SAF development.
• The untapped FEETS mechanism opportunity: Why only a small share of the 20 million SAF-ETS allowances has been claimed, how 3G SAF purchases can receive 95% of the price differential back, and why extending FEETS to 2040 could accelerate SAF production.
• Building a SAF supplier ecosystem: The three criteria Ryanair uses when selecting partners: credibility (a proven track record in renewable fuels), scale (alignment with Ryanair’s route network) and ambition (commitment to advanced SAF pathways beyond first-generation supply). 

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Nina Marczell, SVP Industrial Sales & Marketing for Fuels & Feedstock at OMV, about how the integrated energy company is leading Europe's SAF development from early production to commercial scale. 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 - Ryanair 

Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre - Trinity College Dublin 

Ryanair outlines runway to net zero in sustainability report - Sustainability Online 

Catagen launches ClimaHtech Green Flight with landmark SAF deal - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we speak with Kyle Clark, Founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, who shares how his company went from a college thesis to a publicly traded electric aviation manufacturer delivering real aircraft and generating revenue from military, medical and cargo customers.

Clark discusses:

• The advantage of electric flight: How batteries deliver propulsion at 95% efficiency versus 30% for conventional engines, and how reducing the drag by 30-40% helps electric aircraft achieve meaningful range despite batteries being 30 times less energy dense than jet fuel.
• The vertical integration imperative: Why aerospace engineering demands system-level optimisation across motors, inverters, batteries and aerodynamics, making vertical integration essential rather than optional for electric aircraft.
• Strategic market entry through low-friction use cases: Why Beta prioritised military, medical and cargo applications over urban air mobility.
• The CTOL-first certification pathway: How Beta’s dual-configuration approach (conventional takeoff and landing, then adding vertical takeoff capability) enables earlier type certification, while competitors pursue more complex certification paths.
  Charging infrastructure as a standalone business: How Beta’s charging network may become as valuable as the aircraft business, already extending along the East Coast and winning international contracts like Abu Dhabi.
• The “team member” culture at scale: Beta’s radical approach to titles and ownership, giving equity to all employees, and maintaining a flying programme for all staff.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of REGENT, who shares how his company is developing all-electric Seagliders. 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:

BETA Technologies 

Amazon Buys 5.3% Stake in BETA Technologies - Yahoo 

Air New Zealand and BETA Technologies launch first electric aircraft programme - AeroMorning

GE Aerospace & BETA partner on $300m hybrid-electric aviation push - Aerospace Global News  

In this episode, we speak with Philipp Furler, Founder and CEO of Synhelion, who shares how the Swiss technology company is working to scale synthetic fuels by tackling some of the fundamental cost and infrastructure barriers facing SAF today.

Furler discusses:

• The path to $1/litre production costs: How Synhelion targets production costs of around $1 per litre within 10-15 years through three key advantages: cheap solar energy with thermal storage enabling 24/7 operation, avoiding electrolysis and green hydrogen entirely, and achieving over 90% energy conversion efficiency.
• From fuel producer to technology licensor: How Synhelion plans to demonstrate business case viability by developing projects, building plants, and selling fuel up to 30,000 tons annually by 2030, then transitioning to a project developer and technology licensing model.
• Multi-product revenue streams reduce risk: Why producing not just 70% SAF but also diesel, naphtha, and gasoline creates multiple revenue streams, enabling customer partnerships and market momentum to support scale-up.
• Seamless integration with existing refineries: How Synhelion supplies synthetic crude oil directly into refineries in the Lufthansa and Swiss network where it’s co-processed with fossil crude in a mass-balanced system, demonstrating that decarbonisation requires only building new production plants, not rebuilding downstream infrastructure.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Tim Boeltken, Founder and Managing Director at INERATEC, who shares insights into the company’s modular technology platform and the potential of e-fuels to revolutionise the future of SAF. 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:

Synhelion

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) – a renewable synthetic fuel - Synhelion 

German firm Synhelion opens ‘world’s 1st’ industrial solar fuel plant - Interesting Engineering 

SWISS integrates first supplies of Synhelion solar SAF into flight operations - GreenAir News  

In this episode, we speak with Sabrina Tekle Krarup Jensen, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at Copenhagen Airports A/S (CPH), who shares how the airport is navigating some of aviation’s most complex sustainability challenges.

Jensen discusses:

• CPH’s unique role as neutral facilitator: How the airport leverages its position outside the commercial fuel supply chain to support multiple SAF projects, and connect stakeholders across the entire aviation value chain.
• The eSAF financing gap challenge: Why eSAF prices remain 8-10 times higher than Jet A-1, preventing offtakers from signing the long-term agreements producers need to scale, and why regulatory intervention may be necessary to bridge this gap.
• Proven SAF impact on local air quality: Results from the ALIGHT project measurement campaign showing 40% SAF achieved a 30% reduction in ultrafine particle emissions.
• Denmark’s green domestic route: How Norwegian Air Lines will launch the country’s first green domestic route in March 2026 using 40% SAF.
• Battery energy storage system and electrification: Implementation of a battery system to store renewable energy and manage power spikes from electric ground support equipment and future electric aircraft charging.
• Real-world fuel variability research: The FuelTrack campaign with German Aerospace Centre and SAS that links specific fuel chemistry (aromatics and sulphur content) directly to tailpipe emissions.
• Airport-to-airport collaboration on innovation: CPH’s partnership with Schiphol Airport pooling resources on local air quality challenges.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), who shares the airline’s plans to lead the charge in sustainable 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:

Sustainability - Copenhagen Airports 

Groundbreaking study linking jet fuel properties to aircraft emissions - CPH

Copenhagen Airport installs large battery for green energy storage - CPH 

ALIGHT project