The Middle East is poised to become a center for lower-emission aviation following an agreement between DHL Express and Dubai-based SAF One to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from the region’s first production facility.

Under the agreement, DHL Express will receive long term access to 25,000 metric tons of unblended (neat) SAF per year—a total of 250,000 metric tons over a 10-year term from start of production, planned from 2028. The SAF will be produced at SAF One’s flagship plant in Bahrain.

The partnership supports DHL’s broader sustainability strategy, including its target to raise SAF usage to 30% by 2030.

Abdulaziz Busbate, CEO of DHL Express MENA, said the agreement highlights the region’s growing influence in sustainable aviation.

“We are proud to see the Middle East playing a central role in the global shift toward emission-reduced aviation,” he said. “Partnering with SAF One allows us to accelerate regional decarbonization and provide customers with credible emission-reduced shipping solutions.”

The SAF produced at the Bahrain facility is expected to generate measurable lifecycle carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reductions across DHL’s regional and international air operations.

Travis Cobb,  EVP global network operations and aviation at DHL Express, said incorporating the Bahrain facility into DHL’s supply chain represents a significant step toward mainstream adoption of SAF.

“By integrating the first SAF plant in the Middle East into our global supply chain, we are taking another major step toward making sustainable aviation the new normal,” Cobb said.

The Bahrain plant, SAF One’s flagship facility, will utilize renewable feedstocks and advanced refining technologies designed to produce scalable, certified SAF for international aviation markets.

SAF One Co-Founder and CEO Deepak Munganahalli added that the agreement provides long-term demand certainty that will help accelerate the development of sustainable fuel infrastructure in the region.