Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has announced a strategic partnership with the Swiss-based technology firm Metafuels to accelerate the development and commercial scaling of synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The collaboration aims to secure SWISS’s long-term access to next-generation fuels while reinforcing Switzerland’s status as a global hub for aerospace innovation.
The partnership comes as the Lufthansa Group subsidiary prepares for the European Union and Switzerland’s upcoming synthetic fuel mandates, which are set to take effect in 2030.
Metafuels has pioneered the “aerobrew” process, a technology that converts green methanol—derived from renewable energy, water, and CO2—into aviation fuel. This process offers significant flexibility, as it can utilise either biomethanol or e-methanol, and produces a “drop-in” fuel compatible with existing aircraft fleets and airport infrastructure.
Metafuels is currently constructing a demonstration plant at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, alongside plans for its first commercial-scale facility in Rotterdam.
SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger emphasised that the airline is moving beyond a passive role to actively drive market readiness for synthetic fuels.
“Future availability of sustainable fuels at sufficient scale will only be possible if investments in technologies and partnerships are made today,” Fehlinger stated. “Sustainable fuels must become available much faster, at affordable prices and in significantly larger quantities in the future. Achieving our goals will now require industrial-scale production.”
For Metafuels, the agreement marks its first major partnership within the aviation sector. The collaboration is seen as a vital step in meeting both projected market demand and tighter regulatory provisions.
“This agreement is both a milestone for us and a clear affirmation of the role that synthetic SAF will play in the future of aviation,” said Saurabh Kapoor, CEO of Metafuels. “We are united with SWISS in our shared objective of paving a viable and scalable way to providing lower-emission air travel.”
