Air Transat has made its first two delivery flights with its new jets fueled by a kerosene blend containing 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a first for the Canadian carrier.
It is also a first for the Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany, which produces these aircraft as earlier delivery with SAF was offered only to Airbus customers at its plants in Toulouse, France, and Mobile, Alabama.
Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer Airbus, commented: ?Sustainability and efficiency are essential for our customers and for Airbus. Sustainable aviation fuel developments will play a major role in reducing the environmental footprint of the aviation industry.?
And Philip Scruggs, president and chief commercial officer of AerCap, stated: ?The A321neoLR will allow Air Transat to generate significant fuel savings while reducing the environmental impact of its operations.?
Produced by the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) process by Neste and supplied by AirBP, the sustainable fuel the both flights is certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system and meets the sustainability requirements of the European Union?s Renewable Energy Directive.
Air Transat and Airbus have a long-standing and productive partnership on environmental matters. These two aircraft, which are the fifth and sixth Airbus A321neoLRs that Air Transat is adding to its fleet, are part of an agreement with AerCap for the long-term lease of 17 A321neos (16 in LR version). These new-generation aircraft consume 15% less fuel than the previous generation of Airbus jets.
Air Transat has announced another important SAF initiative. The carrier has reached an agreement with the SAF plus consortium of montreal to purchase a large portion of its SAF production, which will be made from CO2 produced by large industrial emitters. Using a process called Fischer Tropsch (FT), the CO2 will be captured and converted into synthetic aircraft fuel, which is estimated to have an 80% lower carbon footprint than conventional jet fuel.
