Sustainable Jet Fuel (SAF) and Aviation Sustainability

More and more we are getting used to the term Sustainable Jet Fuel (SAF). Many airframers are using it to send their planes that will be on static display are various shows. It typically makes a good PR point but is the movement really growing or is this sustainable jet fuel being used only at certain times of the year? Is it a question of availability that is hindering its expansion?

Bombardier announced today that it received an inaugural shipment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Montreal facilities, further reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainable flying. This step is the first in the company’s plan to secure long-term partnerships with fuel suppliers to deploy SAF to all of its facilities as worldwide supply becomes more readily available.

"We stand behind our commitment to help promote the increased use of SAF throughout the industry," said David Coleal, President, Bombardier Aviation. "Today, we are proud to offer it for the first time at one of our Canadian facilities and it’s only the beginning. Bombardier is working toward ensuring that the use of these fuels becomes a standard in our day-to-day operations as we do our part to reduce CO2 emissions worldwide and meet the longstanding industry climate pledge."

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Vancouver International Airport could be the next site in Canada that you may find Sustainable Jet Fuel (SAF). BioPort YVR is the brainchild of a collaborative effort between the Canadian government and key stakeholders. A sustainability study will commence and the report is due by March of 2020. The findings will help govern how they will move forward. We will keep an eye on this development. @Kevin

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has made its way to Zurich airport ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Departing aircraft from this airport should be able to fuel up with cleaner fuel than is the norm. If you are not headed to Zurich airport you can still benefit from the SAF as Air BP is offering SAF at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport as an alternative for flights related to the WEF operations.

While not dealing directly with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) this video is about Sustainable Air Travel and looking at it through Dutch carrier KLM's eyes. International Aviation blogger Sam Chui sat down with KLM to discuss this.

The Dutch remain committed to the idea of blending low carbon Sustainable Aviation Fuel with Jet A by 2023 and will be the EU country to take the lead on this front. They are hopeful to reach a 14% level by 2030...meaning that by 2030 14% of aviation fuel should be SAF and by 2050 totally replaced by SAF. This sounds ambitious because it is. We will continue to monitor the progress of this development.

Airbus is expanding its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) operations, now including aircraft deliveries from its site in Hamburg, Germany. Air Transat took delivery of two brand new A321LR on lease from AerCap. Both used a 10 per cent sustainable aviation fuel blend to fly the aircraft from Hamburg to Montreal, Canada, non-stop. Airbus has already successfully established SAF flights out of Hamburg with its Beluga transport aircraft since December 2019. The commercial delivery is another milestone that underlines Airbus’ continuing commitment to minimizing air transportation’s environmental impact – which includes becoming the first aircraft manufacturer offering customers the option of receiving new jetliners with sustainable fuel in their tanks. Such delivery flights have been available since 2016, starting from the Airbus headquarters production facility in Toulouse, France, followed by Mobile, Alabama, USA. Airbus offers this option as part of its strategy to promote the more regular use of sustainable fuels within the aviation industry. The fuel for Air Transat’s A321LR aircraft delivered from Hamburg was supplied by Air bp and produced by Neste.

ACI Jet in California, the U.S, is the most recent FBO operator to have sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on hand for its customers. This is made possible by a 7,300-gallon road tanker shipment of the blended fuel earlier in the week. ACI Jet which is located at the John Wayne-Orange County Airport now adds its name to the list of providers of SAF. The fuel was supplied by Avfuel, which sources its concentrated SAF from Gevo and blends it with standard petroleum-based jet-A to ASTM stipulated standards. Another 7,300 gal shipment is expected to arrive at ACI. They will share that load with HQ at the San Luis County Regional Airport and its Paso Robles Municipal Airport. It is good to see the Sustainable Jet Fuel (SJF) concept spread further.

The Business Aviation Collation For Sustainable Aviation Fuel is going to host a 'Virtual' Summit for two days in the aim of helping to put more impetus and energy behind the concept of SAF and to help speed the process along. There will be an expert panel to answer questions and queries relating to the current SAF situation, short-term supply strategies from fuel providers, long-term regulatory perspectives, and operators' overview. Of course each of those sections will include a Q&A session. Who are part of the 'collation'? EBAA, NBAA, NATA, GAMA, IBAC and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). The virtual event actually replaces a real live event that was expected to take place in Washington back in March. Of course because of Covid-19, the event was cancelled.

Customers can now opt to choose Sustainable Aviation Fuel in their fuel tanks on delivery of their new airplane. At least this is the commitment Textron Aviation is willing to make for new deliveries of Beechcraft and Cessna turboprops. Customers of Textron Aviation’s service center in Wichita, Kansas also have the option of refueling with SAF as part of their service experience. "SAF equips air travelers with the ability to lessen the impact of their journeys on our planet, and we are proud to be making this fuel type available as part of our new aircraft delivery experience," said Christi Tannahill, senior vice president, Customer Experience. "SAF can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% over the fuel’s life-cycle, compared to those made from fossil sources and provides an active way for the aviation industry to lower its overall carbon footprint".

An active supporter of sustainable fuel initiatives, Textron Aviation works together with various organizations to increase awareness of SAF benefits among operators. Additionally, the company supports the collaborative work of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, National Business Aviation Association and the European Business Aviation Association to steadily improve worldwide access to affordable sustainable fuel. Textron Aviation also announced earlier this year it is harnessing Kansas winds with a 20-year wind energy agreement signed with Evergy, Inc. This initiative will meet nearly all electricity needs through renewable wind energy across the company’s facilities located in Wichita and Independence, Kansas. Evergy’s new green energy program will empower Textron Aviation with a clear path toward achieving its long-term sustainability goals using the abundant, affordable and renewable wind energy in its home state of Kansas.

One of the things about the current set-up for SAF is the lack of permanence of the fuel blend. Some airport may have it but only for a short time or some may have to schedule a tanker drop etc. Signature Flight Support announced that they are looking to have SAF permanently at two locations. Their FBO in San Francisco International Airport as well as the one at London Luton. To achieve this, Signature Flight Support is connecting all the dots from provider to end-user to ensure a steady supply of SAF. This led to agreements being made with SAF provider Neste as well as NetJets. The agreement is to buy 5 million gallons of SAF from Neste. This is all part of Signature Flight Support's environmental initiative called Signature Renew.

Gulfstream themselves have extended on the contract they have with World Fuel Services to provide Sustainable Aviation Fuel to its Savannah site. This revelation was made yesterday along with the Virtual 2020 Business Aviation Sustainability Summit.

Shell has signed an agreement with Red Rock Biofuels for SAF. Shell will naturally be the distributor and given their worldwide reach and expertise they are in a good position to provide this service. "This has been one of the most devastating wildfire seasons on record," said Red Rock CEO Terry Kulesa. "One of the many potential benefits of the plant is to reduce the waste woody biomass lying on the forest floor, which may help mitigate the spread of wildfires." Shell went on to comment on the agreement. "To enable SAF to fulfill its potential, we need to be proactive and resolute in finding opportunities to increase availability of SAF today and tomorrow," said Anna Mascolo, president of Shell’s global aviation division. "Increasing SAF is dependent on collaboration across the whole value chain."

The Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) is the new latest to join the SAF party of big name governing organizations. They follow on from other names like the NBAA, EBAA, IBAC, GAMA, NATA, and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). "As the coalition has made clear, SAF is key to the industry’s goal of continued emissions reduction," said CBAA president and CEO Anthony Norejko. "SAF may sound too good to be true, but it is true: it will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and help the industry go further faster in reducing an already low carbon footprint. We're pleased to be part of a group that is ensuring this vision becomes reality."

Jet engine manufacturer Rolls Royce is joining the fold of aviation companies that not just want to look politically correct but actually operate well for the environment...at least in the testing stages for many of its engines. Not only is it for this strategy but also to see how the environmental performance increases in gas turbine engines. As part of its ongoing decarbonization push the company is eying the use 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the first time in engine ground tests on next-generation engine technology. Once they start doing this we will see what the results are in terms of carbon reduction.

Avfuel Corporation and Neste are proud to announce a strategic partnership, effective January 11, 2021, to create an efficient, continuous supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States. Neste will provide Avfuel with SAF in volumes able to meet the growing demands of Avfuel’s customers, including fixed base operators (FBOs), airports, flight departments, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and commercial operators. Avfuel will be a branded SAF distributor for Neste, and will sell it under the brand name Neste MY Sustainable Aviation FuelTM. Craig Sincock, president and CEO of Avfuel, said, "This strategic partnership is an exciting development for the industry’s sustainability initiative and a natural next step in response to aviation’s growing demand for SAF. It combines Neste’s leading SAF production and marketing expertise with Avfuel’s leading distribution logistics and branding proficiencies for our global network of FBOs and fuel consumers. Together, we are able to support aviation’s sustainability goals and enhance supply availability at a commercial scale, filling an immense gap in the industry’s supply chain. Avfuel is proud to partner with the Neste team, who demonstrate a deep commitment to aviation and sustainability efforts for a brighter, cleaner world."

Major development from Boeing in that they have made the commitment to having their commercial aircraft flying from 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by 2030. It is a very ambitious goal but not far-fetched because we already have had flight experiments with some commercial jets flying on blended fuels. According to the Air Transport Action Group, U.S. Department of Energy and several other scientific studies, sustainable aviation fuels reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% over the fuel's life cycle with the potential to reach 100% in the future. Today, sustainable aviation fuels are mixed directly with conventional jet fuel up to a 50/50 blend — the maximum allowed under current fuel specifications. In order to meet aviation's commitment for reducing carbon emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2050, airplanes need the capability to fly on 100% sustainable aviation fuels well before 2050.

Japan Airlines has flown the first flight with Japan-made Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The fuel was made from clothing according to reports which is a bit of an odd fuel source. SAF is usually made from agricultural plants or the waste from those plants or even non-consumable plants. The clothes utilized were cotton clothes. In a press release Japan Airlines said, "JAL fully recognizes that the airline industry plays an integral role to protect the planet and regards environmental conservation as a vital issue in its Medium Term Management Plan. The carrier will continue striving to achieve key environmental goals and contribute to a greener environment for future generations."

Airlines are more and more examining the benefits and technologies behind SAF in a meaningful manner. British Airways is looking at powering future flights by sustainably-sourced ethanol.
Sean Doyle, British Airways’ CEO, said: "Despite the crisis in global aviation, it is vital for our future that we continue to address climate change and we remain focused on playing our part to reduce the impact we have on the planet. For the last 100 years we have connected Britain with the world and the world with Britain, and to ensure our success for the next 100, we must do this sustainably." To this end BA is partnering with sustainable jet fuel company LanzaJet. Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet CEO, said: "Our world is at a crossroads on climate change and our industry is at inflection point, prepared to accelerate the energy transition that is needed. We are delighted to welcome British Airways to the LanzaJet family. Low-cost, sustainable fuel options are critical for the future of the aviation sector and the LanzaJet process offers the most flexible feedstock solution at scale, recycling wastes and residues into SAF that allows us to keep fossil jet fuel in the ground. British Airways has long been a champion of waste to fuels pathways especially with the UK Government. With the right support for waste-based fuels, the UK would be an ideal location for commercial scale LanzaJet plants. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with BA and the UK Government in making this a reality, and to continuing our support of bringing the Prime Minister’s Jet Zero vision to life."

Net Jets is getting in on the SAF game too. The fractional ownership company has bought shares in a SAF company. The company has been identified as WASTEFUEL, a company that aims to convert landfill waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). "As the leader in private aviation, NetJets is deeply invested in advancing sustainability across the industry," said Brad Ferrell, executive v-p for administrative services for the company which lists more than 750 aircraft in its fleet. "The biorefinery tackles the dual environmental problems of the global waste crisis and sustainable fuel, and we’re excited to take this step toward improving accessibility to SAF in the aviation industry."