Sustainability In The Air

In this episode, we speak with Claudia Huegel , Senior Director, Head of ESG Rating and Reporting, Lufthansa Group , who shares how one of the world’s oldest and largest airline groups threads sustainability through its strategy, its reporting, and, increasingly, its relationship with the passenger. She discusses: The near-term levers to decarbonising by 2030: Why fleet renewal does the heaviest l...

In this episode, we speak with Robert Hyslop , Executive Vice President of Global Aviation at DHL Express , who oversees one of the world’s largest dedicated air cargo networks and has helped turn the company into one of the biggest corporate buyers of sustainable aviation fuel. He discusses: Tripling SAF usage in a single year: How DHL moved from 3.5% to 10% SAF use within a year by securing reli...

In this episode, we speak with Elvis Ebikade , Director of Strategic Market Development at Bioleum Corporation , about why the Global South should be producing SAF rather than just exporting raw feedstocks, how renewable fuels are becoming an energy security play, the technical challenge of getting aromatics into SAF, and what actually separates a bankable SAF project from a good-looking spreadshe...

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...

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 a...

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 deliveri...

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 S...

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 Labe...

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 comb...

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...

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 co...

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 ke...

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...

In this episode, Dirk Singer speaks with James Hygate , Founder and CEO of Firefly Green Fuels , about one of the more unconventional and potentially scalable sustainable aviation fuel pathways: converting sewage biosolids into jet fuel. Hygate discusses:  Why Firefly is “feedstock-led”, and why that matters more than the technology How sewage biosolids emerged as the preferred feedstock for Firef...

In this episode, we speak with Adam Klauber , Chief Sustainability Officer at World Energy , who has been at the forefront of developing book and claim mechanisms for sustainable aviation fuel since its earliest days. He discusses: The co-claims approach: Why aviation needed to diverge from renewable electricity market models by enabling both airlines (scope 1) and their corporate customers (scope...

In this episode, we speak with Rachel Gardner-Poole , GAIN steering group chair and sustainable aviation consultant at NATS, the UK’s leading air traffic control provider.  Gardner-Poole 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 using tools and insights that can deliver...

In this special year-end episode, we explore conversations with industry leaders revealing where sustainable aviation truly stands in 2025. Matt Gorman, Director of Carbon Strategy at Heathrow Airport, reveals airports control just 0.1% of their carbon footprint directly but use landing charges to incentivise SAF adoption. Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancouver Airport, explains moving their net-zero ta...

In this episode, we speak with Nanna Baldvinsdottir , co-founder of IðunnH2 , about how Iceland’s unique energy system could turn the country into a green fuel bridge between Europe and North America.  A veteran of Iceland’s power sector, Nanna has spent two decades working in renewables before turning to hydrogen and e-fuels development. Nanna shares how IðunnH2 is developing a 300 MW, ~70,000 to...

In this episode, we speak with Billy Thalheimer , co-founder and CEO of REGENT , who shares how the company is redefining travel with their all-electric Seagliders.  Thalheimer discusses: Solving the regional travel gap: How seagliders address the transportation problem on 50–200 mile coastal routes, creating a faster, cheaper, and greener alternative for the 40% of the world’s population living i...

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 Presid...

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...

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 onew...

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 Sa...

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 progr...

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...