The Airport Playbook for Diesel Decarbonisation
Major international airports - Copenhagen, Cologne Bonn, Dublin, Amsterdam Schiphol, London Heathrow, Hong Kong, and Singapore Changi - have cut ground fleet emissions by up to 98% switching to HVO renewable diesel. No new vehicles. No new infrastructure. No operational disruption. And the ground handling companies doing it overseas are the same ones operating at Australian airports today.
Airports are among the most operationally demanding environments on the planet. A delayed pushback tug, a late catering truck, a fuel tanker out of position - any one of these can cascade into a delayed departure, a missed slot, and thousands of dollars in penalties. Behind every on-time departure is a ground fleet that simply cannot fail, running 24/7 with zero tolerance for downtime.
That's what makes ground fleet decarbonisation so challenging and why HVO renewable diesel is the answer. It works in existing engines, requires no infrastructure changes, and delivers up to 90% lifecycle emissions reductions without changing a single operational process.
Aviation's decarbonisation story is often told through the lens of the aircraft itself - and rightly so. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is gaining real momentum globally, with airlines, airports, and governments committing to meaningful SAF uptake targets over the coming decade. But SAF operates on aviation's own long timeframe: scaling production, managing cost premiums, and navigating complex supply chains. What's happening on the ground can't wait for that timeline. Ground fleets are a significant, addressable source of airport emissions and the solution is already here, proven, and operational today.
Airports That Have Already Made the Switch
Copenhagen Airport - Scandinavia’s busiest airport implemented renewable diesel across its ground fleet as part of a layered sustainability strategy: energy-efficient buildings, renewable electricity, EVs where viable, and HVO for the rest. The result is up to 90% emissions reduction on the diesel fleet component - without replacing a single vehicle.
Cologne Bonn Airport - the airport transitioned its entire diesel-powered ground fleet to HVO renewable diesel, saving nearly 3,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Zero vehicle modifications. Operationally seamless.
Dublin Airport - the airport transitioned its aircraft refuelling fleet to HVO, eliminating 300,000 litres of fossil diesel and cutting approximately 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. No vehicle changes. No infrastructure changes.
Amsterdam Schiphol - Since early 2023, all 1,900 diesel-powered ground handling vehicles and machinery at Schiphol - from pushback tractors and fuel dispensers to catering highlifts and conveyor belt loaders - switched entirely to HVO100 renewable diesel. The result was a 98% reduction in ground handling tailpipe CO₂ emissions. Schiphol's own sustainability team was direct about the rationale: the vehicles for which there are currently no electric or hydrogen alternatives available can run on renewable diesel. Critically, every major ground handler at Schiphol made the switch together including dnata, Menzies Aviation, and Swissport. The same three companies that operate at Australian airports today.
London Heathrow - ground handler dnata switched 70 heavy goods vehicles at Heathrow to HVO, cutting fleet emissions by 77% and saving over 2,400 tonnes of CO₂ annually. British Airways went further - switching over 750 pieces of ground equipment at Heathrow to HVO, saving more than 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Same trucks. Same routes. Dramatically different emissions profile.
Hong Kong International Airport - HKIA became the first airport in Asia to use renewable diesel on ground services equipment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 87% compared to petroleum diesel. By December 2024, three into-plane fuelling companies had fully transitioned over 60 ground service equipment units to renewable diesel, with eight additional airport business partners initiating their own pilots. The one-year pilot completed successfully in March 2025, with HKIA now ramping up renewable diesel use across its broader fleet and emergency generators.
Singapore Changi Airport - the Airport has trialled renewable diesel across its ground fleet, one of the most complex in Asia, with more than 1,800 heavy and specialised vehicles - finding that a 100% renewable diesel blend can achieve up to 90% lifecycle GHG emissions reductions. Heavy vehicles in the trial performed well with no impact on operations or efficiency. Changi’s trial is progressing toward broader adoption, adding significant scale to the Asia-Pacific momentum behind renewable diesel for ground fleets.
The Australian Connection: Same Companies, Already Doing It Overseas
Here’s what makes this directly relevant to Australia: the ground handling companies operating at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and other major Australian airports are the same companies already using HVO renewable diesel overseas. This isn’t an untested idea from another market. It’s an operational reality their own global businesses have already proven.
dnata - which operates across Australian airports - has not only made the switch at Heathrow but is also using HVO100 at Amsterdam Schiphol, where it runs all ground vehicles for which electric alternatives aren't yet available on renewable diesel. Menzies Aviation, which services major Australian airports, is using HVO at Schiphol and has publicly described it as compatible with current equipment and an interim solution that removes the cost of retrofitting. Swissport, also active across Australia, is running HVO100 at Schiphol on all vehicles where EVs are not yet viable.
The fuel knowledge, OEM approvals, and operational confidence are already inside these organisations. The missing piece in Australia is supply. That’s the gap RD2Go exists to close.
Keep the Fleet, Change the Fuel
HVO renewable diesel is made from 100% renewable waste feedstocks (agricultural waste, animal fats, used cooking oils) and is never in competition with food production. It is chemically near-identical to fossil diesel, approved by all major OEMs including CAT, Cummins, Volvo, Scania, and DAF, and classified as zero Scope 1 emissions under Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2024.
For fleet operators, that means no capital expenditure on new vehicles, no changes to operations, no downtime and genuine, reportable emissions elimination from day one. Not offsets. Elimination.
Dublin, Heathrow, Schiphol and Hong Kong didn’t wait for perfect conditions. They took the most practical, highest-impact action available to them now. For Australian fleet operators, that same window is open.
Decarbonisation doesn’t start when electrification becomes viable. It starts with the fuel in your tank.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Renewable Diesel + Airports
Q. What is the difference between renewable diesel, biodiesel, fossil diesel, and SAF?
A. The emission data below is based on the *National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) Factors 2024.
Refined from crude oil - conventional diesel used for over a century.
Full Scope 1 CO₂-e emissions on combustion under Australia's NGA.
Approximately 2.7 kg CO₂-e per litre burned (combined CO₂, CH4 and N₂O).
The baseline all other fuels are compared against.
Made from biological feedstocks like vegetable oils and animal fats via a transesterification process.
Different chemical structure to fossil diesel - requires blending limits, not approved for all engines.
Scope 1 CO₂ combustion factor is zero under the NGA (biogenic carbon), but Scope 3 upstream emissions vary significantly by feedstock and production plant - a standard Scope 3 factor is not published for this reason.
Can affect performance in cold temperatures and has shorter storage life than fossil diesel.
Renewable Diesel (HVO):
Made from 100% renewable waste feedstocks - used cooking oils, animal fats, agricultural waste
Chemically near-identical to fossil diesel - direct drop-in replacement, no engine modifications, no blending limits.
Scope 1 CO₂ emissions: zero under Australia's NGA.
Up to 90% lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction compared to fossil diesel.
Formally recognised as a fuel category under Australian NGER legislation from 2023-24 onwards.
Full OEM approval across all major engine manufacturers.
SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel):
Low-carbon fuel specifically produced and certified for jet aircraft engines.
Similar production principles to HVO but refined to meet aviation fuel specifications.
Covered under Australia's NGA as "renewable aviation kerosene" and also added as a recognised fuel category in 2023-24.
Not interchangeable with ground vehicle diesel - an entirely separate fuel category.
Bottom line: For ground fleet operators, HVO renewable diesel is the only low-carbon fuel that works in existing diesel engines today, at 100% purity, with full OEM approval and zero operational disruption.
Q. Is renewable diesel available in Australia?
A. Yes. HVO100 renewable diesel is available now and formally recognised under Australia’s Fuel Quality Standards (Paraffinic Diesel) Determination 2025. RD2Go supplies renewable diesel to fleet operators across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, including to regional areas, delivered direct to depots, sites, and business premises.
Q. Does renewable diesel require engine modifications?
A. No. HVO renewable diesel is a direct drop-in replacement for fossil diesel. No engine modifications, no changes to fuel storage tanks, and no changes to fuelling infrastructure are required. All major engine OEMs - including CAT, Cummins, Volvo, Scania, DAF, and Mercedes-Benz - have officially approved HVO100 for use in their diesel engines.
Q. What Australian regulations support renewable diesel adoption?
A. Three key regulatory drivers are accelerating renewable diesel adoption in Australia:
The Fuel Quality Standards (Paraffinic Diesel) Determination 2025, which formally recognises renewable diesel as a separate, compliant fuel product.
The NSW Renewable Fuel Strategy (2025), which identifies renewable diesel as the primary near-term decarbonisation pathway for hard-to-electrify sectors including heavy freight, construction, and transport.
The Federal Safeguard Mechanism, which requires large emitters to stay within set emissions baselines - creating a direct financial incentive to reduce fleet emissions.