ATOBA Energy and Flying Forest Forge Long-Term SAF Offtake Partnership to Accelerate Clean Aviation Fuel Expansion
ATOBA Energy, a leading global platform specializing in the aggregation and distribution of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), has entered into a significant new partnership with Flying Forest, a next-generation renewable fuel developer based in the Nordics. The two companies have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) outlining a long-term SAF offtake agreement that aims to strengthen commercial certainty for Flying Forest’s flagship project in Finland while enhancing ATOBA’s ability to supply the aviation sector with reliable, cost-competitive low-carbon fuels.
This agreement marks a meaningful advancement for both the European SAF market and the broader global transition toward cleaner aviation. It pairs Flying Forest’s cutting-edge fuel production capabilities with ATOBA’s unique aggregation model, creating an ecosystem designed to unlock greater investment, accelerate project timelines, and give airlines more flexibility as they seek to decarbonize operations.
Converting Finland’s Wood Waste Into High-Efficiency Sustainable Aviation Fuel
At the heart of the partnership is Flying Forest’s innovative biofuel project in Iisalmi, Finland, which is positioned to become one of Europe’s most advanced SAF production facilities. The project focuses on converting wood waste into high-quality jet fuel using state-of-the-art methanol-to-jet (MTJ) technology—an emerging pathway that has gained recognition for its scalability, efficiency, and ability to meet stringent aviation fuel standards.
The Iisalmi facility is designed with three dedicated production lines, giving it the capacity to produce approximately 200,000 tons of SAF per year at full scale. Importantly, the project is already planned with potential expansion in mind, with additional nearby sites under evaluation to support future growth. This positions Flying Forest not only as a major new producer in the Nordic region, but also as a company that could become a key pillar of Europe’s long-term SAF supply.
A Circular Economy Model Built on Local Forestry Residues
One of Flying Forest’s distinctive strengths is its commitment to sourcing raw materials through sustainable and locally secured supply chains. Finland’s forestry industry produces vast quantities of sawmill residues and low-grade wood by-products—materials that are often underutilized yet abundant, renewable, and ideal for conversion into clean fuels.
To anchor the project’s feedstock needs, Flying Forest has secured agreements with regional sawmills that provide access to up to 3.75 million tons of sawmill co-products and non-commercial roundwood each year. By using these materials, the company ensures long-term supply reliability while actively supporting Finland’s circular economy goals.
Instead of letting these forestry residues go to waste or burn in low-value applications, Flying Forest’s process transforms them into high-value SAF that directly displaces fossil-based jet fuel. This approach not only reduces lifecycle emissions but also reinforces the economic vitality of rural forestry communities and contributes to a more sustainable forest management system.
Meeting the Aviation Sector’s Rising Demand for SAF
The aviation industry faces a rapidly intensifying need for sustainable fuels as airlines, regulators, and global climate commitments converge around ambitious decarbonization targets. SAF remains the most viable near-term solution for reducing aviation emissions at scale, especially for long-haul and heavy-lift flights where battery-powered or hydrogen aircraft remain decades from commercial relevance.
However, a major challenge continues to slow the sector’s progress: the commercial gap between producers and airlines. Fuel producers require long-term offtake commitments to secure financing and construct multi-billion-dollar facilities. At the same time, airlines need pricing flexibility given volatile fuel markets and operational cost pressures.
This is the core issue that the ATOBA–Flying Forest partnership seeks to solve.
ATOBA’s Aggregation Platform: Bridging Producers and Airlines
ATOBA Energy has developed an innovative model that aggregates SAF supply from multiple producers and offers it to airlines through diversified, flexible purchasing structures. This approach spreads commercial risks, stabilizes pricing, and helps the aviation industry access larger volumes of lower-carbon fuel without binding each airline to the full burden of a single producer’s long-term financing needs.
For Flying Forest, ATOBA’s model creates bankable, long-term offtake assurances—the type of commitments essential for raising capital, reaching a final investment decision (FID), and accelerating infrastructure development. For airlines, the agreement means access to competitively priced SAF that is not tied to the output of a single facility or technology, but instead forms part of a broad portfolio managed by ATOBA.
Executive Perspectives: Driving Innovation and Investment
Leaders from both organizations underscored the significance of the agreement and its potential to reshape SAF market dynamics.
“Scaling SAF requires innovative commercial models that work for both producers and end customers,” said Paul Groves, CEO of Flying Forest. “This collaboration with ATOBA Energy builds the aligned ecosystem we need to drive innovation, catalyze investment, and accelerate SAF deployment globally.”
Groves emphasized that new financing and distribution structures are essential to unlock the next wave of SAF production capacity worldwide—particularly for projects that rely on newer, more efficient technologies like methanol-to-jet conversion.
ATOBA Energy CEO Arnaud Namer echoed this sentiment, highlighting how Flying Forest’s technology aligns with the platform’s strategic mission.
“Flying Forest’s leading-edge technology enables a cost-efficient transformation of residues into sustainable aviation fuel,” Namer said. “By adding Flying Forest to our aggregation platform, we can offer airlines price competitiveness and stability while providing Flying Forest the long-term commitments they need to reach final investment decision.”
A Step Forward for Europe’s SAF Leadership
As Europe accelerates toward mandatory SAF blending mandates—including the European Union’s RefuelEU Aviation initiative—projects like Flying Forest’s Finland facility are crucial for meeting future demand. ATOBA’s partnership enhances market readiness by ensuring that new production is matched from the outset with reliable, diversified, long-term buyers.
The combination of abundant local feedstocks, advanced conversion technologies, and a scalable commercial framework positions this collaboration as a model for SAF development across Europe and beyond.
With this LOI, ATOBA Energy and Flying Forest have taken a major step toward expanding the supply of sustainable aviation fuel, advancing climate goals, and supporting the aviation industry’s shift toward a cleaner, more resilient future.
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