First ever UK aircraft with Sustainable Aviation Fuel takes flight

Why we write about this topic:

Flying is harmful to the environment because of the high CO₂ emissions. That is why it is important to invest in tests and research for cleaner aviation fuels. With this flight, the step towards large-scale use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel is one step closer. That is why Innovation Origins selected this post.

The Royal Air Force and Airbus have carried out the world’s first hundred percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight in UK airspace, writes the aircraft manufacturer in a press release.

An RAF Voyager, the military variant of the Airbus A330 commercial jetliner, took to the skies above Oxfordshire, England. The aircraft was powered completely by hundred percent SAF on both engines. It paves the way for a range of possibilities for the future of flying. The ninety-minute return flight, flown by a combined Airbus, Royal Air Force (RAF), and Rolls-Royce flight-test crew, also replicated an air-to-air refueling sortie.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel, which is made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks, reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to eighty percent compared to the conventional fuel it replaces. In this case, the fuel was made from used cooking oil.

‘Aviation stands to benefit from a rapid switch to sustainable fuels’ – Innovation Origins

The cost of climate damage due to the use of fossil fuels in aviation in Europe through to 2050 outstrips the cost of a rapid switch to sustainable fuels.

World’s first military aircraft

It is also the world’s first hundred percent SAF flight of an in-service military aircraft. The RAF said it demonstrated the potential for its future operational capability, ensuring the ability to contribute to UK defense 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 (most common fuel used in aviation), culminating in a flight without a single drop of fossil fuel.”

The future of sustainable aviation – Innovation Origins

Just like everything else, the aviation sector needs to do something about its emissions. Aviation companies and countries have gotten together and set ambitious goals.