Airbus jets in China now being delivered using SAF blend

An Airbus A320neo has been delivered to China Eastern Airlines from the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre powered with a 5% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The SAF came from China’s only certified SAF facility, SINOPEC Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company, a state-owned manufacturer and will be used in a blend for all further Airbus aircraft deliveries in China.

This particular SAF was developed from locally used cooking oil, while across the SAF industry it can be made from feedstocks ranging from used fat, oil and grease to municipal and forestry waste. Compared to fossil jet fuel, SAF has been demonstrated to result in an up to 80% reduction in CO2 emissions across the entire SAF lifecycle. At the moment, all Airbus commercial aircraft are capable of flying with an up to 50% SAF blend mixed with kerosene with the aim of being capable of 100% SAF use in flight by the end of this decade. Since March 2021, Airbus has successfully accomplished 100% SAF test flights on its A319neo, A350 and A380 aircraft.

“The first SAF delivery flight of Airbus aircraft in Tianjin marks a historic milestone for Airbus and particularly for us in China,” said George XU, Airbus EVP & Airbus China CEO.

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