Emirates completes first Airbus 380 100% SAF flight

In the UAE Emirates, one of the world’s largest international airlines, has become the first airline to operate an Airbus A380 demonstration flight with one of the aircraft’s four engines powered with Neste’s 100% sustainable aviation fuel.

The A380 demonstration flight took off on 22 November from Dubai International Airport and is the result of close cooperation between Neste, Emirates, Airbus, Engine Alliance, Pratt & Whitney and Virent, with ENOC supporting the delivery of Neste’s SAF. The flight underlines the performance and compatibility of SAF as a safe and reliable fuel and contributes to the growing body of research carried out by the industry to study the beneficial effects of 100% SAF usage on aircraft emissions and performance.

The 100% SAF used on the flight includes renewable aromatic content. The fuel’s characteristics are similar to conventional jet fuel, making it a so-called “drop-in” fuel, requiring no modifications to the aircraft or its engines before use. This is the first time that 100% drop-in SAF is used on an A380 aircraft, with the expectation of full compatibility across the aircraft’s existing systems.

Neste provided its Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to which the aromatic component from Virent was added by ENOC to produce a 100% renewable jet fuel that meets all the jet fuel requirements. 100% SAF made from renewable raw materials then powered one Engine Alliance GP7200 engine in the aircraft, while conventional fossil jet fuel was used in the other three engines. The PW980 auxiliary power unit (APU) from Pratt & Whitney Canada, providing power to aircraft systems when engines are not running, also ran on 100% SAF.

The demonstration flight using Neste’s SAF follows the recent expansion of the partnership between Emirates and Neste for the supply of over 9,000 tons (3 million gallons) of blended Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ over the course of 2024 and 2025 for Emirates’ flights departing from Amsterdam Schiphol and Singapore Changi airports.

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