DHL Express introduces sustainable aviation fuel at Paris CDG hub
DHL Express has signed an agreement with TotalEnergies for the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, becoming the first express logistics operator to introduce the fuel at the French aviation hub.
The agreement covers an initial volume of five million litres of SAF over one year, under a renewable supply arrangement. The first DHL aircraft using SAF departed from Paris CDG on 9 November 2026, marking the beginning of the company’s latest alternative-fuel initiative in France.
The fuel will support DHL Express flights connecting Paris with the company’s aviation hubs in Leipzig, Casablanca, Milan and London. According to DHL, the initiative is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 11,800 metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually.
SAF deployment across DHL’s European network
The agreement extends DHL’s existing use of sustainable aviation fuels across its international air network. SAF represented approximately 10% of the aviation fuel consumed by DHL’s own aircraft fleet in 2025, as the company continued expanding its procurement of alternatives to conventional jet fuel.
Sustainable aviation fuel can be produced from waste and residual materials, including used cooking oil, and is compatible with existing aircraft and airport infrastructure when used in approved blends. Depending on the feedstock and production process, SAF can achieve lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions of approximately 80% compared with conventional fossil-based aviation fuel.
Travis Cobb, Executive Vice President of Global Network Operations & Aviation at DHL Express, said the latest agreement forms part of the company’s strategy to reduce emissions associated with international express transportation and support customers seeking to lower their indirect transport-related emissions.
The SAF volumes supplied through TotalEnergies will also be incorporated into DHL’s GoGreen Plus offering, which enables customers to account for emissions reductions through a book-and-claim mechanism. Under this approach, environmental benefits associated with sustainable fuel use can be allocated to participating customers even when their shipments are not physically transported on aircraft using that fuel.
The mechanism is intended to support customers’ Scope 3 emissions accounting, particularly emissions associated with upstream and downstream transportation and distribution activities.
Paris hub marks five years of operations
The introduction of SAF coincides with the fifth anniversary of DHL Express’s Paris Charles de Gaulle hub, which opened in 2021 following an investment of EUR 170 million. The facility remains one of the company’s principal European air cargo operations and represents its largest investment in France since entering the market in 1976.
Located within the airport’s cargo area, the hub occupies a 91,000-square-metre site, including 34,000 square metres of operational space. Its sorting infrastructure can process up to 38,000 parcels and documents per hour, with operations continuing around the clock and a workforce of approximately 760 employees.
Alongside its aviation activities, DHL Express France has expanded the electrification of its road delivery operations. The company reports that its entire owned light commercial vehicle fleet in France is now electric, while lower-emission delivery methods, including bicycles, cargo tricycles and walking couriers, are used across 55 French city centres.
The latest agreement with TotalEnergies adds a new fuel supply arrangement to DHL’s aviation network as the logistics industry faces increasing pressure to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining international freight connectivity.
