Fossil carbon emissions

Reducing fossil carbon emissions is the greatest challenge facing aviation today. We are committed to reducing CO₂ emissions through concrete, forward-looking actions.

Our key actions for future CO₂ reduction

  • We are committed to increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is an alternative to fossil jet fuel. In 2025, around 1.6% of the fuel we used was biogenic SAF that meets strict sustainability standards as defined in the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation. This includes the mandated SAF, contributions from customers and voluntary SAF purchases funded by Finnair and our corporate partners. As we fuel our aircraft also outside the EU, the percentage reflects the share of SAF in relation to our global fuel consumption.
  • We aim to drive SAF availability by:
    • Empowering our customers to increase SAF usage by making a contribution while booking flights or through the Finnair for Business SAF service
    • Scaling up Finnair’s own voluntary SAF volumes beyond the mandatory amounts
    • Investing in future technologies
      • Partnering with innovators and other stakeholders
      • Supporting SAF ecosystem development
      • As an example, we are participating in a globally unique demonstration project, led by Liquid Sun, to produce renewable, sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) from biogenic CO2 emissions.
  • We invest in fuel efficiency every day with every single flight. This means fuel-efficient flight planning, reducing the operative weight of the aircraft and operating each flight as fuel-efficiently as possible.
  • We support research that helps accelerate the development of new technological solutions, such as sustainable aviation fuels, electric, hydrogen and hybrid flying.
  • We purchase emission allowances under the EU ETS to cover our verified CO₂ emissions. Revenues from allowance auctions go to EU Member States, which must allocate part of this income to climate action and the energy transition. In 2025, Finnair applied for EU ETS emission allowances based on the 4,688 tonnes of SAF it used in 2024, of which 769 tonnes were consumed on EU ETS‑covered flights. As a result, Finnair received 6,810 emission allowances. This means that Finnair’s eligible SAF use in 2024 was partially co‑funded through the EU Emissions Trading System, providing 0.47 million euros in support.