Airbus completes first 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel test flight on both engines

By Peter Davison

21 November 2022

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SAF is a near drop in fuel, designed to reduce the carbon footprint of our aircraft which could prove to be critical to achieve our goal of net zero 2040. The SAF used for this trial is made from waste cooking oil and has approximately an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions of F-34 despite the fact it was sourced from the far east. Locally produced SAF could see an even larger reduction in CO2 emissions in the future. The SAFís technical name is Hydro processed Ester Fatty Acid Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (HEFA SPK) It is produced by breaking down oils and fats into esters and glycerol in a process called transesterification. The esters are then hydro processed to remove oxygen and unsaturated bonds from them which makes them fit for use in aircraft and less susceptible to breaking down. There are differences within the fuels which will have an effect on various things: It has 0 sulphur which reduces engine lubricity but leads to less SOx emissions which can cause acid rain. It doesnít have a compound called benzene/aromatics which leads to engineering challenges: A lower density of fuel caused by the absence of aromatics means that a greater volume needs to be pumped by the fuel system per second to maintain the required power output. Aromatics cause seals to swell, certain types of seals will not swell to create a proper seal so need to be replaced in order to use SAF Aromatics can cause long term health effects including cancer, the removal of these is a reduction of risk to those operating around aviation fuel

The Royal Air Force, Airbus and other industry partners have carried out the world’s first 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight using an in-service military aircraft. It is also the first 100 per cent SAF flight of any aircraft type carried out in UK airspace.

An RAF Voyager – the military variant of the Airbus A330 commercial jetliner - took to the skies above RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Wednesday powered completely by 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel on both engines, paving the way for a range of possibilities for the future of flying military aircraft.

The flight was a joint endeavour between the RAF, Bristol-based aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support agency, British aircraft leasing company AirTanker and engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, with the fuel supplied by Air bp.

Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, said: “True to our purpose of 'pioneering aerospace', we have gladly supported the Royal Air Force on this landmark sustainable-fuel test flight. I commend our UK customer for this achievement which helps pave the way for a sustainable reduction of carbon emissions of our military aircraft fleets.

"Airbus engineers have made a significant contribution to this RAF mission by providing on-the-ground expertise in recent weeks and securing the necessary MoD military flight permits.”

Sustainable Aviation Fuel – which is made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks, in this case used cooking oil – reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to the conventional fuel it replaces, lessens the RAF’s reliance on global supply chains and improves operational resilience by reducing the necessity for fuel resupplying.

As different approaches will suit different platforms and environments, a range of alternative fuel options are being looked at to ensure the UK is at the forefront of this developing technology.

The 90-minute return flight from RAF Brize Norton, flown by a combined Airbus, RAF and Rolls-Royce flight-test crew, replicated an air-to-air refuelling sortie and was witnessed by senior RAF and industry representatives.

The RAF said it demonstrated the potential for its future operational capability, ensuring the ability to contribute to UK defence wherever and whenever it was required.

Experimental test pilot and Captain of the flight, Jesus Ruiz, said: “From the crew perspective, the SAF operation was ‘transparent’, meaning that no differences were observed operationally. The Test Plan was exhaustive and robust and has allowed us to compare SAF with JET1 culminating in a flight without a single drop of fossil fuel.

"Teamwork was a key contributor, harmonising experience from Airbus, Rolls-Royce and the RAF. We feel very proud to be a small part of this huge step for sustainable aviation.”

By Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country.

An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts.

Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.