The Norwegian airline Norwegian, together with DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark and AFSN, has been awarded the Danish government tender for domestic flights operated with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
From spring 2026 through to the end of 2027, we will serve as infrastructure and fuel partner to help ensure that Norwegian’s domestic route from Aalborg to Copenhagen is operated with a minimum 40% SAF blend, in line with current international standards.
The collaboration with Norwegian builds on DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark’s active role in supporting the decarbonisation the decarbonization of Danish aviation and the gradual transition towards alternative fuels. Since 2021, we have supported the introduction of SAF at several Danish airports as infrastructure and fuel supplier. Partnering on SAF-based operations on Denmark’s busiest domestic route is therefore a natural next step for us.
During the contract period, Norwegian is expected to operate up to 4,100 flights using blended SAF. The fuel will be ISCC-EU certified and handled via a dedicated fuelling setup at Aalborg Airport, in accordance with the “drop-by-drop” approach specified in the tender.
Key milestones
DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark helped introduce SAF on Denmark’s first domestic route, between Sønderborg and Copenhagen.
SAF became available to airlines and partners at Billund Airport, supported by DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark.
DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark entered Denmark’s largest SAF agreement to date with Air Greenland and established the country’s first dedicated SAF storage facility at Prøvestenen.
DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark joined Shell Aviation’s Book & Claim platform, Avelia, supporting future SAF initiatives under the Book & Claim principle.
DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark expanded our collaboration with Vestas, supplying blended SAF for helicopter operations to and from offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
Facts about the route
- Norwegian expects to operate around 93% of its flights on the domestic route from Aalborg to Copenhagen with a minimum 40% blend of SAF.
- The tender award was based on the criterion of lowest price, according to the tender materials.
- DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark is responsible for establishing the necessary infrastructure and supplying fuel in collaboration with AFSN.
- The SAF blend is set at a minimum of 40%, as current international ASTM standards for aviation safety limit blending ratios to a maximum of 50%. For safety reasons, the blend level remains below this upper limit, even though higher ratios closer to 50% are technically feasible.
- A dedicated infrastructure has been established to meet the tender requirement for a “drop-by-drop” approach.
- The SAF used on the route is ISCC-EU certified. SAF is produced from bio-based feedstocks and serves as an alternative to conventional fossil jet fuel. While SAF produces roughly the same CO₂ emissions during combustion as fossil jet fuel, when assessed across the entire lifecycle, from production to use, neat SAF can reduce total CO₂ emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel, depending on feedstock, production method, and supply chain.
Contact
(For media inquiries)
Cecilia Nguyen
Marketing, Communications & Public Affairs Manager
