The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to potentially source neat sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Aether Fuels, a climate technology firm that plans to set up SAF production plants in the US and Southeast Asia.
According to a Feb 4 announcement, the agreement outlines the SIA Group’s intention to procure neat SAF for five years when Aether’s plants begin commercial production, with an option for a five-year extension.
The neat SAF will be blended with regular jet fuel before being supplied to selected airports served by Singapore Airlines and Scoot.
Aether will use “waste carbon feedstock” to produce the fuel. According to the company’s website, its technology can create fuel from industrial “off-gases”, municipal solid waste, agricultural and forestry waste and residue, biogas and captured carbon dioxide.
According to Aether, its trademarked Aether Aurora technology “reduces plant capital cost, increases production efficiency and achieves higher SAF yields compared to existing techniques”.
The company’s upcoming commercial-scale production projects in the US and Southeast Asia will produce SAF certified by the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA. “These projects are set to achieve a minimum greenhouse gas reduction of 75%, significantly contributing to the aviation industry’s sustainability efforts,” says the company.
See also: Sustainable aviation fuel volumes growing, but ‘disappointingly slowly’: IATA
Global team
Aether was incubated and funded in 2022 by Xora, a deep-tech venture firm backed by Temasek. The firm says it has grown its Southeast Asia team while expanding its operations in Chicago, where its research and development hub is located.
Aether founder and CEO Conor Madigan is based in Chicago. Speaking to The Edge Singapore, Madigan says Aether currently employs 25 staff around the world. Four employees are based in Asia and they are “focused on projects in Southeast Asia”, he adds. They include Aether’s engineering project manager and technology programme director.
See also: SIA and Cathay sign MOU to collaborate on sustainability initiatives
“We are bullish on SAF production in Southeast Asia and are actively developing production opportunities in the region. We look forward to sharing more later this year,” says Madigan.
In prepared remarks, Madigan says: “We are proud to join the SIA Group’s ecosystem of SAF technology innovators. Their decarbonisation goals are catalysing ingenuity throughout the supply chain and galvanising companies like Aether to develop production solutions that pair breakthrough technologies with next-generation feedstock strategies. The collaboration will deepen our understanding of the end-user customer priorities and of the SAF market, particularly in Southeast Asia. These advantages will further inform our project development programmes and accelerate our path to commercialisation.”
Lee Wen Fen, SIA’s chief sustainability officer, says: “This partnership marks another step in the SIA Group’s journey towards our long-term decarbonisation goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. By collaborating with like-minded ecosystem partners such as Aether, we aim to accelerate and scale up the adoption of SAF in our flight operations, laying the groundwork for more sustainable air travel.
Other MOUs
Aether signed a similar MOU with US airline JetBlue in September 2024, the company’s first in the SAF space.
JetBlue’s venture capital subsidiary, JetBlue Ventures, invested in Aether’s convertible note and US$34 million Series A financing.
The latter, announced in June 2024, was led by London-based investor AP Ventures and joined by Chevron Technology Ventures, CDP Venture Capital and Zeon Ventures, along with existing investors Xora, TechEnergy Ventures, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures and Foothill Ventures.
Phil Inagaki, managing partner and chief investment officer at Xora, says: “It is encouraging to see the SIA Group committing to meaningful sustainability goals and taking concrete steps to advance the adoption of SAF. Singapore has built a supportive environment for deep tech innovation, empowering companies like Aether to amplify the impact of transformative solutions to global challenges.”
Inagaki, who is also Aether’s board chair, says the firm’s “breakthrough” technology enables the production of SAF with the “lowest green premium” and “most flexible, scalable feedstock”. “This collaboration with the SIA Group reflects a shared focus and commitment, making it a natural fit that will undoubtedly accelerate SAF innovation and adoption.”
