Originating in 2019 at NBAA-BACE, World Fuel Services has expanded its sustainability solutions with an enhanced carbon offset scheme that makes it easier for flight departments and FBOs to meet their carbon targets. The Carbon Offset Fuel programme (COF) allows FBOs and flight departments to combine jet fuel and carbon offsets through a simple process that consists of regular measurement and reporting, and offset purchasing by World Fuel.

World Fuel, through its sustainability brand World Kinect Energy Services, is continuing to respond to FBO, flight department and operator demands for offsetting carbon emissions. Members of the World Fuel Network can now choose from two methods to offer customers carbon offsets; either bundled with Jet A using a monthly or quarterly self-reporting process or through a built-in feature in World Fuel software offerings, such as Total Aviation Software, avPOS and TotalFBO.

For FBOs using World Fuel software, tracking COF is simplified. World Fuel has added an automated COF reporting feature to its FBO point-of-sale software solutions, so that FBOs can offer their customers carbon offsets at the time of fuelling. In the software, flight departments are charged for COF by the FBO at the time of purchase. This feature captures the transaction's COF volumes between the FBO and its flight department customer and automatically transmits them to World Fuel, eliminating the manual reporting step. The new feature is currently available at many of the Air Elite locations and will soon be released to other World Fuel FBO software users.

The COF programme also provides a similar solution directly to flight departments. They can track their fuel burn over the reporting period, typically a month or more, and send that information to World Fuel. World Fuel through World Kinect converts gallons to tons of Co2 and purchases the required carbon offsets on behalf of its flight department customers.

Darren Fuller, VP of business development at World Fuel Services says: “Offsetting carbon as an everyday activity is our mission for this programme. We want to make sustainability accessible to the broadest customer base possible. Carbon offsets bundled with jet fuel are a perfect bridge until Sustainable Aviation Fuel supply rises to meet demand.”

As a member of the Coalition of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), World Fuel continues to support the business aviation industry's goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050. Since 2015, World Fuel has delivered nearly 22.1 million gallons of SAF to business and commercial aviation customers. COF is another step toward increasing the aviation industry's access to low-carbon fuel and creating greater efficiencies in SAF distribution.