BRA Successfully Completes the First Commercial Flight Using Only Sustainable Aviation Fuel!

Saturday 25th of June 2022

The world's first true 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel commercial flight was conducted by BRA on June 21 between Malmö and Stockholm in association with the fuel manufacturer ATR and the fuel supplier NESTE. One of BRA's 14 ATR 72 aircraft, the ATR 72-600 SE-MKK, flew the 1 hour and 11 minutes flight.

This was a commercial aircraft's first flight with both engines running entirely on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). For routine operations, current regulations allow a maximum 50 percent mixture of SAF and conventional jet fuel. For this demonstration flight, an exemption was granted by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

What is Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

Instead of refined petroleum, sustainable aviation fuel is made from waste materials and renewable resources. The SAF utilized for the BRA flight was "MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel" from NESTE, a mixture of renewable and sustainable raw materials made from waste, including used cooking oil, animal fat, and used fish fat. According to NESTE, SAF cuts the total carbon life cycle emissions by 80%. NESTE claims that its SAF emits less oxide and particulates in addition to a decrease in carbon emissions.

BRX1SAF Flight Path

Why is this Flight Important?

All airlines, including some of the biggest, like United Airlines, Air France + KLM Group, and Qantas, have pledged to power their fleets with sustainable aviation fuel as soon as possible. The increasing evidence that SAFs are a dependable source of propulsion and are prepared for certification for use above a 50 percent blend is strengthened by this flight that used only SAFs. By 2025, according to ATR, the entire ATR 72 fleet should be approved for use by the SAF. This BRA flight marks another significant step toward wider industry adoption. The aviation industry has committed to using sustainable aviation fuel as the quickest way to reduce overall emissions from flights.

Challenges to SAF Adoption Remain

Although this flight is a significant step toward widespread SAF use in the industry, many obstacles still stand in the way of the widespread adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. Even with the recent dramatic increase in the price of oil over the past year, the price of SAF is currently significantly higher than that of conventional jet fuel. Second, due to refining capacity and source feed stock resources, availability is still constrained. Will prices and availability decrease as the industry expands quickly enough for airlines to meet their aggressive SAF targets?

[Photos: Flightrader24]