Emirates has revealed that nearly a third of its dedicated fleet of transport buses for cabin crew in Dubai will now operate on biofuel, taking another step forward on its environmental mission to reduce emissions.

The airline’s contracted service provider, Al Wegdaniyah, has committed to operating all road trips with biodiesel provided by Neutral Fuels, one of the UAE’s leading producers of biofuels, utilizing locally sourced, used cooking oil as feedstock.

Emirates commissions a fleet of nearly four dozen buses in Dubai alone, to safely shuttle its cabin crew between their homes and the workplace, clocking an average of 700,000 kilometers in a normal month. Similar to operations in the air, route, and schedule planning for ground transport is also an important aspect to maximize transport efficiency and reduce emissions.

The estimated carbon dioxide savings from this initiative alone is 75,000 kg annually, and the airline continues to work with its other transport suppliers to extend this initiative across the transport fleet.

Karl W. Feilder, CEO of Neutral Fuels congratulated Emirates and Al Wegdaniyah for the initiative, pointing out that it is in line with the energy-related sustainability goals that the UAE has committed to achieve by 2050. Using biofuel reduces greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and the change can be easily made because switching from fossil fuel to biofuel requires no modification to diesel engines. It has a positive effect on engines because its lubricating properties help prevent premature wear and failure, and it even acts as a detergent in fuel systems, removing sludge deposits which improves efficiency and reduces maintenance costs.