Air bp is this month celebrating 100 years of serving the global aviation industry. Since its creation in 1926, when aircraft were still made of wood and canvas, the company has remained central to the industry’s most important milestones.
The scale of change is significant – from 2,582 gallons supplied in its second year of operations to the approximately 6.6 billion gallons used annually today.
Having been founded as the specialised aviation fuels division of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company – one of the predecessors of British Petroleum – Air bp’s customers today include commercial airlines, the military, business and private aircraft owners, airports and airfield operators.
The company now serves 600 airports across 40 countries and fuels more than 6,800 flights per day – the equivalent of one flight every 12.7 seconds.
From pioneering mobile refuelling units to the first commercial test flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Air bp’s history tracks the remarkable trajectory of flight.
Landmarks of the company’s first 100 years include:
1926: Air bp takes off with Europe’s first into-aircraft fuelling service using a specially designed mobile unit.
1927: Neville Stack’s Moth travels from Croydon to India – the first flight fuelled by Air bp.
1949: Air bp fuels the first jet passenger flight with a fueller specifically designed for underwing fuelling.
1960: Supplied fuel for the development of Concorde.
1970: Became a founding member of the Joint Inspection Group.
1983: Air bp fuels the Boeing 747 that carried NASA’s space shuttle.
1998: Formation of Bluesky Aviation Fuel Co Ltd, a joint venture covering 15 airports, enabling major participation in China.
2008: Involved in fuelling the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) flight by an airline.
2018: Launches the safe2go fuelling app.
2023: Air bp supplies SAF for research, testing and the world’s first 100% SAF-fuelled transatlantic commercial flight (Virgin Atlantic Flight 100).
2024: Completed 1,000,000 safe2go overwing refuellings.
Air bp has contributed to the evolution of refuelling practices through a series of technical and operational advancements, including early mobile refuelling services and support for notable long‑distance flights in the 1930s.
The company also helped develop industry-wide safety standards that continue to support safe and reliable operations today. More recently, Air bp supplied fuel for the first 100% SAF transatlantic commercial flight.
Today, as aviation faces new challenges, Air bp is using its technical expertise and leveraging its global network to support the shift to a lower-carbon future.
Federica Berra, CEO of Air bp, said: “Air bp has helped shape the way the world flies, from pioneering into-plane fuelling in 1926, to supporting the aviation industry through every major transformation since. As we enter our second century, our focus remains the same: delivering the reliability, safety and lower carbon solutions our customers and the industry needs for its next chapter.”
