Emirates is first airline to test 100% sustainable fuel on A380

Emirates Airline is now the world’s first airline to operate an A380 demonstration flight using 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

The flight took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB) with one of four engines powered on 100 percent 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 percent over the fuel’s life cycle when compared to conventional jet fuel.

Demonstration flights like the one conducted today pave the way for future standardization, qualification and adoption for 100 percent SAF flying, as governments adopt broader strategies to support the production and scale up of SAF.

The A380 demonstration flight underlines the performance and compatibility of SAF, making it a safe and reliable fuel source, and contributes to the growing body of research carried out by the industry to evaluate the beneficial effects of 100 percent SAF on aircraft performance.

SAF is currently capped at a 50 percent blend limit in engines for commercial flights.

The Emirates A380 demonstration flight comes as the aviation industry, international organizations, regulatory bodies and high-level officials driving policy-related decisions converge in Dubai for the Third International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3).

Dedicated collaborators from Airbus, Engine Alliance, Pratt & Whitney, Neste, Virent and ENOC have been working on the testing, technical assessments and data analysis for today’s flight.

The 100 percent drop-in SAF used on today’s flight includes renewable aromatics and closely mimics the characteristics of conventional jet fuel.

This is the first time that drop-in SAF has been used on an A380 aircraft, with the expectation of full compatibility across the aircraft’s existing systems.

The flight carried four tons of SAF, comprised of HEFA-SPK provided by Neste (hydro processed esters and fatty acids synthetic paraffinic kerosene) and HDO-SAK from Virent (hydro deoxygenated synthetic aromatic kerosene).

ENOC helped to secure the neat SAF comprised of HEFA-SPK, and blended it with Sustainable Aviation Kerosene (SAK) at its facility in Dubai International Airport ahead of the demonstration, and also carried out into-plane services.

The 100 percent SAF was used in one Engine Alliance GP7200 engine, while conventional jet fuel was used in the other three engines. The PW980 auxiliary power unit (APU) from Pratt & Whitney Canada also ran on 100 percent SAF.

“Emirates is the first passenger airline in the world to operate an A380 with 100 percent drop-in SAF powering one of four Engine Alliance GP7200 engines,” said Emirates Airline Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha.

He said “this is another proud moment for Emirates and our partners, as we put words into action with the research into and the trialing of higher concentrations of SAF to eventually lead to industry adoption of 100 percent 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. The growing global demand for lower-emission jet fuel alternatives is there, and the work of producers and suppliers to commercialize SAF and make it available will be critical in the coming years to help Emirates and the wider industry advance our path to lower carbon emissions,” he added.

“Seeing Emirates flying an A380, the world’s largest airliner, powered by an engine running on 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuels is a symbolic moment. These fuels are the most effective way to address CO2 emissions in the aviation industry today and that they are supported increasingly by the world’s leading airlines,” said Julie Kitcher, Airbus Executive Vice President for Communications and Corporate Affairs.