Emirates has become the world’s first airline to operate an A380 demonstration flight using 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The plane took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB), with one of four engines powered on 100 per cent SAF, helping demonstrate its potential as a drop-in replacement that matches jet fuel’s technical and chemical requirements while being a more sustainable alternative. SAF can reduce carbon emissions by up to 85 per cent* over the fuel’s life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
The A380 demonstration flight underlines the performance and compatibility of SAF, making it a safe and reliable fuel source. It contributes to the growing body of research carried out by the industry to evaluate the beneficial effects of 100 per cent SAF on aircraft performance. SAF is currently capped at a 50 per cent blend limit in engines for commercial flights.
The 100 per cent SAF was used in one engine, while conventional jet fuel was used in the other three engines.
Adel Al Redha, chief operating officer of Emirates Airlines, said: “Emirates is the first passenger airline in the world to operate an A380 with 100 per cent drop-in SAF powering one of four Engine Alliance GP7200 engines. This is another proud moment for Emirates and our partners as we put words into action with the research into and the trialling of higher concentrations of SAF to eventually lead to industry adoption of 100 per cent SAF flying. This marks another significant step in validating the use of SAF in one of the engines of the A380, a wide-body aircraft with four engines.”
* Calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology.
More information about the flight available here.
