Swiss International Air Lines Partners with Metafuels to Develop Synthetic Aviation Fuel

Swiss International Air Lines has signed a partnership with Zurich-based startup Metafuels to jointly develop and bring to market synthetic sustainable aviation fuel produced from captured CO2 and green hydrogen. The Lufthansa Group parent company is also considering long-term SAF procurement contracts with Metafuels as part of the arrangement.

Founded in 2021, Metafuels uses its proprietary aerobrew process to convert sustainable methanol—produced from renewable energy, water and carbon dioxide—into synthetic jet fuel. The process accepts biomethanol or e-methanol as feedstocks, providing flexibility in raw material sourcing. Under the new partnership, the companies will jointly drive development and commercialisation of synthetic SAF solutions. Swiss and Lufthansa Group are considering long-term offtake commitments that would help Metafuels secure financing for industrial-scale production.

Despite SAF production nearly doubling in 2025, it still accounted for just 0.6% of airlines' total fuel consumption according to the International Air Transport Association, highlighting the scale of the challenge. High initial costs and feedstock constraints limit growth for conventional bio-based SAF pathways. Synthetic, or electro-SAF, avoids agricultural feedstock dependency by using captured CO2 and renewable electricity, though it currently remains more expensive than bio-based alternatives. Long-term offtake commitments from airlines are critical to de-risking the capital-intensive production facilities needed to bring unit costs down.

The partnership between Swiss and Metafuels reflects a broader trend of airlines partnering with early-stage SAF technology companies to help build supply pipelines for the post-2030 period, when regulatory blending mandates in the EU and other markets will require significantly higher SAF volumes. The EU's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires airlines to blend 6% SAF by 2030, rising to 70% by 2050. Metafuels CEO Saurabh Kapoor noted that with demand rising and tighter regulatory requirements ahead, synthetic fuels are set to gain in importance, regardless of near-term cost challenges.

Key figure — 0.6% share of total airline fuel consumption met by SAF in 2025