Airbus has launched what it is touting as groundbreaking study to determine the impact that flying a widebody plane with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) would have on aircraft performance and emission levels.
A first flight to check the operational compatibility of using 100% SAF was conducted on an Airbus A350 out of the company's facilities in Toulouse, France, this week.
Related: Airbus develops zero-emission concept planes
Phase 2 of the study starts next month when Airbus, in partnership with SAF producer Neste, engine maker Rolls-Royce and the German aerospace research center DLR, begins tests comparing the emissions impacts of flying on SAF compared with traditional kerosene-based jet fuel.
Airlines' burgeoning focus on sustainability has been pushed to the back burner. Here's why ecofriendly initiatives are expected to survive the pandemic.
A few airlines have already incorporated small amounts of SAF into their operations, though global production is still tiny. However, current regulations cap the amount of SAF that can be on any flight at no more than 50% of the total fuel.
While SAF can already power airplanes on its own, it has distinctions from conventional jet fuel that could potentially cause engine problems if used unblended, according to Steve Csonka, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, a U.S.-based coalition charged with bringing SAF to market. For example, it could potentially cause elastic engine tank seals to shrink, leading to fuel leakage.
The airline industry had pledged to reduce emissions 50% from 2005 levels by 2050. SAF, which can be produced from various feedstocks, including animal fats, vegetable oils, forestry residue and garbage, is viewed by many within and outside the industry as the most feasible way for airlines to reach emission targets quickly.
SAF producers and airlines estimate that such fuel can deliver emissions reductions of up to 80% in comparison with conventional jet fuel. The Airbus study will probe further into that issue. The findings, said the aircraft maker, "will support efforts currently underway at Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure the aviation sector is ready for the large-scale use of SAF as part of the wider initiative to decarbonize the industry."
In January Boeing set a goal to have all of its aircraft, including existing planes, able to fly on 100% SAF by 2030.