In Finland, Neste said that Bell Textron has completed its first flight fueled solely by 100% sustainable aviation fuel with its Bell 505 becoming the first-ever single engine helicopter to fly using 100% SAF. Neste noted that this milestone flight was achieved through a cooperation between Bell, Safran Helicopter Engines, GKN Aerospace, Neste and Virent. Safran Helicopter Engines, manufacturer of the Arrius 2R engine on the Bell 505, and GKN Aerospace, the fuel system component supplier, conducted thorough testing on the engine and fuel system components. Neste supplied the SAF and collaborated with Virent, the supplier of the biobased aromatic additive, to blend, test and deliver the SAF for this project. “This successful collaboration demonstrates that we are one step closer to enabling the entire aviation industry to take full advantage of 100% SAF as the key means to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions of air travel,” said Jonathan Wood, Vice President Global Commercial and Technical, Renewable Aviation at Neste.
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