On November 22, local time, Emirates completed the world’s first test flight using an Airbus A380 aircraft equipped with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The main power of the A380 wide-body passenger aircraft comes from four GP7200 engines jointly launched by General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. Flight EK2641 of this test flight,Sustainable fuel powers one of the engines as well as the PW980 auxiliary power unit, while the other three engines still use conventional jet fuel.

The plane took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 11:36 a.m., flew around the Dubai coastline, and returned to DXB at 12:12 p.m.

The aircraft carried 4 tons of sustainable aviation fuel during this test flight, including HEFA-SPK (hydrogenated fatty acid esters and fatty acid synthetic kerosene) provided by renewable diesel producer Neste and HDO-SAK (hydrogen anoxic synthetic aromatic kerosene) provided by American energy company Virent.

Compared with traditional aviation kerosene, SAF has lower carbon emission intensity, making it an important choice for the aviation industry in its pursuit of low-carbon transformation. The main components of SAF include biomass and waste oils, such as catering waste oil, animal fat and wood.

According to Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Airline,This is the first time sustainable aviation fuel has been used on the A380, and the company expects the aircraft's existing systems to be fully compatible.

He expressed optimism, “Today’s test flight paves the way for future standardization and qualification certification of 100% sustainable aviation fuel flights.”

Earlier this year, Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft completed the Middle East’s first 100% SAF-powered test flight using “GE 90” fuel.

SAF is in short supply

"Now that we have completed this test flight, the next step is to ensure a stable supply of fuel at various airports," AlRedha said.

He stressed that global demand for low-emission aircraft fuel alternatives is growing. In the next few years, relevant manufacturers and suppliers must put SAF into commercial production and operation.

Alexandre Jay, chief engineer of Airbus A380, also said,The existing barrier to the adoption of 100% SAF is not the aircraft itself, but the fuel supply.

He expressed confidence that through the continuous improvement of aircraft technology and the rise in fuel demand, the supply chain of sustainable aviation fuel will become increasingly complete.

Previously, Shell Group also provided the airline with 315,000 gallons of mixed SAF. The first flights powered by these SAFs took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB) last month.

Emirates also recently expanded its partnership with Neste. Neste will supply more than 3 million gallons of blended SAF to the airline's flights from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Singapore Changi Airport over the next two years.