Kuehne+Nagel, SWISS back Synhelion to scale synthetic sustainable aviation fuel
Long-term SAF offtake deal supports Synhelion’s solar fuel scale-up and advances lower-carbon air cargo.
Kuehne+Nagel and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) have strengthened their strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of more sustainable aviation solutions, with a clear focus on scaling sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, brings together logistics, airline and clean energy expertise to support the market introduction of solar-based synthetic fuels developed by Swiss cleantech company Synhelion.
At the centre of the agreement is a long-term SAF offtake commitment designed to provide Synhelion with the planning security required to industrialise its technology. Synhelion produces renewable synthetic fuels by converting sunlight into liquid hydrocarbons, including solar jet fuel, offering a pathway to significantly reduce lifecycle emissions without changes to aircraft or infrastructure.
Under the terms of the agreement, Kuehne+Nagel, SWISS and Swiss WorldCargo will jointly support the uptake of Synhelion’s SAF, signalling demand certainty to the producer and helping unlock further investment and scale. From 2027, Kuehne+Nagel will purchase Synhelion SAF from SWISS for a five-year period, applying it to its air cargo shipments carried by Swiss WorldCargo. The move reinforces Kuehne+Nagel’s broader decarbonisation strategy while enabling customers to actively lower the CO₂ footprint of their air freight.
“To meet the aviation industry’s climate targets, we must scale the production of synthetic SAF. At Kuehne+Nagel, we are taking the lead by partnering with SWISS and Synhelion to accelerate these technologies, making them economically viable,” explains Yngve Ruud, Member of the Management Board responsible for Air Logistics. “With it, we can offer our customers the opportunity to reduce their environmental footprint with this innovative technology.”
SWISS highlighted the importance of collaboration in overcoming the current scarcity and high cost of SAF. “Sustainable aviation fuels are a key building block for making air travel more sustainable. They remain scarce and costly, which is exactly why we need strong partners,” says SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger. “We are pleased to be working with Kuehne+Nagel to implement the first commercial offtake of Synhelion’s fuel. This marks an important step forward and sends a clear signal that we intend to actively shape this path.”
The partnership reflects a growing shift in aviation and logistics towards long-term offtake agreements as a mechanism to de-risk emerging fuel technologies and accelerate their transition from pilot scale to commercial reality.
