Air, Freight News, Logistics

DHL Introduces SAF at Paris CDG Airport

[ November 13, 2026   //   Gary Burrows ]

DHL Express has begun using sustainable aviation fuel at its Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport hub under a one-year supply agreement with TotalEnergies covering five million liters.

DHL said it is the first express logistics provider to use SAF at Paris CDG Airport. The initial flights will connect the French hub with DHL facilities in Leipzig, Germany; Casablanca, Morocco; Milan; and London.

The company projects that the fuel will reduce annual carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by about 11,800 tonnes compared with conventional jet fuel. DHL said SAF represented 10 percent of the aviation fuel used across its owned aircraft fleet in 2025.

“This latest milestone is part of DHL’s global strategy to decarbonize express transportation and help our customers reduce their transport-related indirect emissions,” said Travis Cobb, executive vice president of global network operations and aviation at DHL Express.

SAF can be produced from waste and residual materials such as used cooking oil and used in existing aircraft and airport fueling systems. DHL said lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions can be as much as 80 percent lower than those of conventional jet fuel, depending on the feedstock and production method.

DHL will incorporate the Paris volumes into its GoGreen Plus service, which assigns emissions reductions to participating customers through a book-and-claim system. The approach allows environmental benefits generated within DHL’s network to be allocated to customers even when their individual shipments are not carried on flights physically using SAF.

The agreement coincides with the fifth anniversary of DHL’s Paris CDG Airport hub. The 34,000-square-meter facility opened in 2021 and can process as many as 38,000 parcels and documents an hour.

Tags: DHL Express, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, TotalEnergies