Wizz Air Holdings PLC on Monday said it has invested £5 million in biofuel company Firefly.

This is the airline’s first equity investment in sustainable aviation fuel research and development. It explained that Firefly specialises in a process which converts sewage sludge, a low-value waste product available in large quantities, into SAF.

More than 57 million tonnes of sewage sludge are produced in the UK each year, with the potential to produce 250,000 tonnes of SAF, Wizz Air said.

The company added that the partnership with Firefly will allow Wizz Air to supply SAF to its UK operations from 2028, up to 525,000 tonnes over 15 years. The agreement has the potential to save 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Wizz Air explained that the agreement with Firefly and investment in new SAF technology represents the latest milestone in Wizz Air’s broader sustainability strategy.

Head of Strategic Projects Michael Berlouis said: ‘Our investment in Firefly and its sewage sludge SAF technology is a major step forward for Wizz Air in securing its long-term ability to provide low-cost fares to its customers in an ever more environmentally sustainable way. From 2028, we are aiming to procure 525,000 tonnes of SAF from Firefly over a period of 15 years. This has the potential to reduce our emissions by 100,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year, which is equal to the emissions of over 12,000 return Wizz Air flights between London and Budapest’.

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