Reduced Scope 1 emissions for Airbus through the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Regulators have given the green light for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to be used as a standard fuel, allowing it to replace or combine with drop-in SAF inside any commercial aircraft fuel tanks. This move is a significant step forward in the aviation industry's quest for carbon neutrality.
Airbus, a leading player in the industry, is spearheading the adoption of SAF. The company aims to enable its aircraft to operate on 100% SAF by 2030, while currently supporting up to a 50% SAF blend across its fleet. To achieve this goal, Airbus is involved in numerous initiatives and partnerships to scale SAF production and integration, addressing key challenges such as feedstock availability, supply chain logistics, and regulatory frameworks.
Technologically, Airbus has demonstrated SAF capability with flights such as the 2013 Paris Air Show demonstration using Biojet A-1, a sugar-based biofuel, on an Airbus A321 aircraft. Today, Airbus aircraft are certified to safely use SAF blends of up to 50%, with ongoing developments targeting full (100%) SAF capability within this decade. Production technologies focus on converting biomass, including crop residues, wood, used cooking oil, and waste palm oil, into jet fuels through biochemical or thermochemical processes.
Facilities and supply chain developments include partnerships to establish domestic biofuel industries and SAF production hubs in strategic regions. For instance, in France, Airbus collaborates with Air France, Safran, and Total to accelerate a sustainable biofuel industry using innovative feedstocks and technologies. In the Asia-Pacific, Airbus partners with Indonesian researchers to explore biomass-based SAF from abundant agricultural residues, targeting up to 100 million tonnes annually from Indonesia alone by 2030.
However, Airbus and its partners face several challenges. These include feedstock constraints, supply chain and logistics issues, technical and regulatory hurdles, and economic factors. Despite these challenges, Airbus' commitment to SAF is embedded in a broader sustainability roadmap aiming to decarbonize aviation by integrating advanced biofuels at scale, leveraging technology innovation, strategic partnerships, and global efforts to overcome supply and economic challenges.
SAF, when used, can substitute conventional "JET A1" fuel without modifications to an aircraft's structure or systems. Airbus is actively supporting and acting as a catalyst for the development and use of SAF. The company is currently using SAF on its sites and activities where a direct impact on carbon emissions can be made.
Airbus is expanding the use of SAF to two more facilities in Toulouse, France, and Tianjin, China. The SAF blend used in the Employee Shuttle service has upwards of 80% GHG emissions reduction. Operations and logistics, including component assembly lines, Final Assembly Lines, and Customer Delivery Centres, are being carried out with SAF at the new sites.
Airbus Transport International (ATI) has been using SAF for its Beluga fleet since 2019 to transport large components and deliver satellites, military cargo, and humanitarian aid. By the end of this decade, all Airbus manufacturing sites calling on the logistic services of ATI could be supplied with SAF.
SAF is a blend of kerosene and modified feedstock, such as used cooking oil, sawdust, or municipal solid waste. It is produced in a bio-refinery and blended up to the maximum certified blending limit, then certified to ASTM D1655, making it equivalent to conventional Jet A1 kerosene. SAF can provide on average 80 percent CO savings over the entire lifecycle when compared to traditional aviation fuel.
Airbus actively supports implementing incentives and long-term policies to develop the SAF market. The use of 100% SAF has been tested on the A350 (ECLIF) and the A320 (VOLCAN) for in-flight emissions testing. Airbus is committed to sustainable aerospace, aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of its products and services.
In conclusion, Airbus' commitment to SAF is a significant step towards a more sustainable aviation industry. By expanding the use of SAF and addressing the challenges associated with its production and use, Airbus is demonstrating its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and contributing to a more sustainable future for aviation.
- Regulators' approval of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as a standard fuel opens up opportunities in environmental-science, allowing it to replace or combine with conventional Jet A1 fuel inside any commercial aircraft fuel tanks, contributing to the aviation industry's quest for carbon neutrality.
- Airbus' aim to enable its aircraft to operate on 100% SAF by 2030, while currently supporting up to a 50% SAF blend across its fleet, represents an advancement in the aerospace industry's focus on sustainable-living and technology innovation.
- Airbus is partnering with various entities, including Indonesian researchers, to explore biomass-based SAF and establish domestic biofuel industries and production hubs in strategic regions, like France and the Asia-Pacific, as part of home-and-garden initiatives to promote sustainability.
- SAF can substitute conventional Jet A1 fuel without modifications to an aircraft's structure or systems, offering finance-related benefits due to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent over the entire lifecycle.
- Airbus' commitment to SAF goes beyond aviation by implementing incentives and long-term policies to develop the SAF market and foster sustainable aerospace practices, aligning itself with global efforts towards a more sustainable lifestyle and environment.
