Airbus made its first flight with the super transport aircraft Beluga from the facility in Broughton (UK) with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). With this flight, Airbus has taken an important step towards decarbonising its industrial operations.
Airbus North Wales facility, which transports aircraft wings to Toulouse, Hamburg and Bremen with its Beluga fleet, became the second Airbus European facility after Hamburg, which is the first in transportation with sustainable aviation fuel. Hamburg was the first facility to use aviation fuel in cargo transportation at the end of 2019.
Tony Derrien, Airbus Sustainable Aviation Fuels Project Manager, said, “This first flight of a Beluga cargo plane from Broughton, partially powered by SAF, marks an important milestone in Airbus' goal of decarbonizing its industrial operations.” said.
“Given our ongoing research into the potential of 100% SAF in commercial flights at Airbus, it highlights our commitment to reducing fossil fuels in our own operations, reducing the impact of the industrial carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable future for the aviation industry in general.” he added.
Sustainable aviation fuels are currently approved by the authorities for up to 50 percent use on commercial flights. The Beluga fleet, carrying parts from Broughton, will initially fly with a 2 percent non-fossil fuel mixture adjusted to reduce CO400 emissions by more than 35 tons in the next three months.
Used by the Beluga fleet, SAF is produced from sustainable raw materials as cooking oil and supplied by Air bp to Airbus' facilities in Broughton and Hamburg.
“The gradual deployment of sustainable aviation fuels at Airbus facilities is an important part of our decarbonisation roadmap. We are proud that Broughton is the second Airbus facility to use SAF in Beluga fleet operations. ” said.
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