January 10, 2025 [Interfax]- The Turkey-based STAR refinery of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) plans to supply 700,000 tonnes of jet fuel annually to Istanbul Airport from 2025 to 2027, inclusive, SOCAR Turkiye, the Turkish subsidiary of SOCAR, said.

“The strategic cooperation should further increase our contribution to the [Turkish] aviation industry,” the company said without disclosing any other details.

SOCAR Turkiye also said that it intends to establish producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from vegetable fat waste in line with its development strategy up to 2030.

Meantime, Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.S. (Tupras), which owns four refineries in Turkey, previously reported on social networks that it has agreed to supply 1.8 million tonnes of jet fuel annually to Istanbul Airport over the next five years, starting in 2025. The company obtained the right following a tender held by Turkish Fuel Services, TFS Akaryakıt Hizmetleri A.S., which provides fuel supply services for aircraft at Istanbul Airport , and is the largest distributor of jet fuel in Turkey.

Consequently, Istanbul Airport’s annual jet fuel demand is expected to exceed 3 million tonnes this year, of which 23.3%, or 700,000 tonnes, will be supplied by STAR Refinery, and 60%, or 1.8 million tonnes, by Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.S. (Tupras).

STAR Refinery produced nearly 1.26 million tonnes of jet fuel according to 2023 data, and around 840,000 tonnes in January-October 2024.

SOCAR entered Turkey’s aviation sector under the SOCAR Aviation brand in 2013, signing its first major contract with Pegasus Airlines for jet fuel supplies at Sabiha Gokcen Airport. In 2016, deliveries began for Türk Hava Yolları at Atatürk Airport, Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, and Bodrum Airport.

The STAR refinery was commissioned on October 19, 2018, and is designed to process Azeri Light, Kerkuk, and Urals crude oil. It supplies the Petkim petrochemical complex with raw materials and creates conditions for SOCAR to enter the Mediterranean market with its diesel fuel and jet fuel, as well as raw materials for the chemical industry. The refinery covers 18% of Turkey’s needs for petroleum products.

The refinery’s capacity to refine oil exceeds 13 million tonnes per year.

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