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Aviation’s race for sustainability has barely begun
6/7/2022
6 min read
Feature
Selwyn Parker takes a look at the status of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.
The flight lasted only one hour and 20 minutes, but it is a landmark in the race for sustainable aviation. When the ATR 72-600, Pratt and Whitney-powered prototype of Sweden’s Braathens Regional Airlines touched down at Bromma airport near Stockholm on 21 June, it was the first time a commercial regional aircraft had flown on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in both engines.
The flight also took French aerospace manufacturer ATR, a specialist in turboprops, a big step closer to its self-imposed deadline of 2025 for full SAF certification. And it means that the partners in the project – Braathens, ATR and biofuel-refiner Neste – have cleared all the hurdles so far since embarking on the pursuit of SAF-powered aviation in late 2021.
Until now, all the tests have been conducted on the ground or in the air with one engine. But June’s flight represents a quantum leap. ‘After more than a century of commercial flights powered by kerosene, we are at the dawn of a new era,’ remarked ATR Chief Executive Stefano Bortoli, without exaggeration.