His Excellency Dr. Mohamed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, Chairman of Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, Akbar Al-Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways and Wael Sawan, Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell and Saad Al-Kuwari, Chief Executive Officer of Tasweeq today attended the inaugural fuelling of a Qatar Airways aircraft with GTL Jet Fuel at the airport.
An Airbus A340-600, flight QR001 will make history by being the first to fly outbound from Doha International Airport, en route to London Heathrow using GTL Jet Fuel.
This is a significant milestone for the giant onshore Pearl GTL complex, which is jointly developed by QP and Shell and is the largest energy project in Qatar. Fully approved for use as an aviation fuel, GTL Jet Fuel is a blend of up to 50% GTL Synthetic Parafinic Kerosene (SPK) meeting the stringent requirements of ASTM-D-7566 and conventional crude oil-derived standard jet fuel (Jet A-1).
His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar's Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum said: "The production of GTL Jet Fuel is a great achievement for Pearl GTL and the State of Qatar. GTL Jet Fuel will be supplied into the wider jet fuel pool at Doha International Airport enabling the State of Qatar to enjoy the benefits of this product. It is indeed an historic moment for Qatar that the first aviation fuel to be approved globally in the last 20 years originates in Qatar”.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways has long had the foresight to be a leader in the field of environmental stewardship in the aviation sector. This historic Gas-To-Liquids operated flight paves the way for Qatar Airways to contribute to environmental effectiveness when it comes to the day-to-day operations of our business.
“As the world talks and preaches environmentally friendly skies, we at Qatar Airways are setting the bar high for others to follow. We are shifting the goalposts. We are setting an example by doing our part, by committing ourselves to be at the forefront of innovative research,” said Al Baker.
Wael Sawan, Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell Company: “The production and sale of GTL Jet Fuel is an important milestone for the QP-Shell partnership and testimony to our continued support for Qatar’s position as the GTL capital of the world. Developing petroleum products in Qatar for use in Qatar clearly aligns with the vision of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to use the country’s resources to drive growth. The operation of Pearl GTL and enabling Qatar Airways to be the first carrier to fly commercially on GTL Jet Fuel is a clear realisation of this vision. This fuel can be safely used for commercial aviation across all legacy aircraft in use across the world as well as the latest models of airframes and engines on the drawing boards today and notably those in Qatar Airways’ fast expanding fleet.”
Tasweeq, the marketing agent for Qatar Petroleum, for local sales of petroleum products has been instrumental in provisioning the local supply of the GTL fuel in Qatar, and specifically for Qatar Airways’ first flight from Doha.
Saad Al Kuwari, Chief Executive Officer of Taweeq said: “As Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways is today making its mark in the aviation industry and we are proud to have supported this important initiative, providing marketing intelligence, local aviation fuel supply and logistics support as a designated marketer for Qatar Petroleum. We look forward to expanding the scope of this GTL fuel to deliver Qatar’s energy for all airlines flying to Doha.”
This product launch also marks the attainment of the highest stage of the so-called Fuel Readiness Level scale in the rigorous certification and qualification process of Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Parafinic Kerosene blends with conventional Jet A-1 and creates a true ‘Drop In’ alternative fuel meeting the latest DEF STAN and ASTM international aviation standards.
As an alternative to conventional crude oil-derived jet fuel, GTL Jet Fuel can help diversify the aviation fuel supply chain and offers a number of attractive benefits for airlines and airports. The synthetic blend component - GTL kerosene – contains virtually zero Sulphur and has been shown to produce lower particulate emissions (very fine soot particles) than conventional crude oil-derived jet fuel. This means that once blended with conventional jet fuel to create GTL Jet Fuel, it can be attractive to airlines and airport authorities keen to improve local air quality at busy airports by reducing local emissions. GTL kerosene also has a higher energy density than conventional oil-based kerosene. This has the potential to reduce the engine maintenance requirements and the required fuel payload and aircraft may be able to better optimise the weight of fuel to cover the same distance.
GTL Jet Fuel from Pearl GTL plant is marketed by “Tasweeq” for use solely within Qatar. The first production cargo of GTL Jet Fuel left the Pearl GTL Plant on 17 December 2012 and will be first used in this inaugural flight departing Doha International Airport later today.
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways currently has orders worth over US$50 billion for more than 250 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320 Family of aircraft. In addition to winning Skytrax’s prestigious Airline of the Year 2011 and 2012, Qatar Airways was named Best Airline in the Middle East for the seventh year in a row, and its Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport was named Best Premium Service Airport for the second consecutive year in 2012. Skytrax is the only global independent passenger survey monitoring airline standards and is considered the ultimate benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. In October 2012, Qatar Airways became the first of the major Gulf carriers to officially announce plans to join a global alliance having been invited into the oneworld group. For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com
About Qatar Shell
Shell is the largest foreign investor in Qatar investing up to $21 billion in the last 6 years. Qatar Petroleum and Shell delivered two of the largest energy projects in the world in Ras Laffan Industrial City. Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) is the world’s largest GTL plant and cements Qatar’s position as the GTL capital of the world. At an investment of $ 18 – 19 billion it is the largest single investment in the Shell Group’s global portfolio.
The Qatargas 4 Liquefied Natural Gas project (QP (70%) and Shell (30%)) combines Shell’s global leadership in LNG with Qatar’s position as the world’s largest LNG supplier.
Shell has established a world-class research and development facility and a learning centre, the Qatar Shell Research & Technology Centre, at the Qatar Science & Technology Park. Shell has a financial commitment to invest up to $100 million on programmes at the Centre over a 10-year period.
In 2010, Shell and PetroChina signed an agreement with QP to explore in the pre-Khuff interval in Block D. In December 2011 Shell and QP signed a HOA to jointly develop a world-class petrochemicals complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Enquiries
Qatar Shell Alaa El-Dabaa +974 66884330
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 44302072, Fax: +974 44302069
E-mail: qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa
Website: www.qatarairways.com