Tag: sustainable aviation fuel

Airbus A330 MRTT performs landmark air-to-air sustainable aviation refuelling mission

Stuart Mitchell

One-hundred years since the first ever air-to-air refuelling of an aircraft, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) has carried out a landmark in-flight refuelling exercise with blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using an Airbus Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Voyager aircraft. On a crisp Spring morning in the Oxfordshire countryside, the RAF’s VIP Voyager – emblazoned with Union Flag tail and gold-lettered ‘United Kingdom’ livery – taxied on to the Brize Norton runway filled with 43% SAF. On board were UK Business and Trade Minister Nusrat Ghani MP, members of…

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The UK’s Airborne Laboratory flies with sustainable aviation fuel

Stuart Mitchell

The FAAM Airborne Laboratory, which is owned by NERC, has used a blend of sustainable aviation fuel for the first time this week. FAAM, which operates a specially adapted BAE-146 aircraft fitted with scientific instruments, used the new fuel on a routine crew training flight in the south of England. Sustainable aviation fuel has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in aviation by up to 80%, compared to jet fuel sourced from crude oil. It is made from 100% renewable waste, bio-oils and residual raw materials, like recovered cooking…

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Airbus’ most popular aircraft takes to the skies with 100% sustainable aviation fuel

Stuart Mitchell

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a key element for the future reduction of air transportation’s carbon footprint, and Airbus is continuing its testing of this bio-jet fuel with a new VOLCAN flight test campaign using the best-selling A320 Family aircraft. An A321neo took off recently from Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France with both of its engines powered by 100% unblended SAF. Since the end of February, the aircraft is being closely followed by a data-collecting aeroplane with the mission to gather information on the non-CO2 emissions and the creation of…

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Virent Bio-Based Fuel Used in Third Milestone Demonstration Flight Powered With 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Stuart Mitchell

Virent’s plant-based synthesized aromatic kerosene recently helped power an Emirates Airline demonstration flight, the first in the Middle East and North Africa to use 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one engine and traditional jet fuel in the other. Virent, a Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary, used its BioForming® process to produce the synthesized aromatic kerosene (SAK), a critical component that made the 100% SAF possible. “Virent’s technology converts widely available, plant-based sugars into the compounds that make it possible to fuel a jet engine without the need to blend SAF…

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Virgin Atlantic to purchase 70m US gallons of sustainable aviation fuel

Stuart Mitchell

Virgin Atlantic has announced the purchase of 10m USG per annum of SAF to be produced by Gevo, Inc. and supplied by Virgin Atlantic’s joint venture partner, Delta Air Lines. The agreement with Delta builds on the existing long-term partnership between Delta and Gevo and increases the use of SAF from the US West Coast.  SAF produced by Gevo will come from one of its future production facilities. Gevo’s production process separates sugars and proteins from non-edible industrial corn grown using climate smart agricultural practices. The sugars are then used…

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