Emirates World’s First Airline To Operate A380 Demonstration Flight With 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Dubai’s flag carrier, Emirates, has completed an Airbus A380 demonstration flight using 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), making it the first airline in the world to do so.

Emirates test flight EK2641 took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB) after 11.36 am with one of four Airbus A380’s powered by SAF. It returned to DXB at 12.12 pm, after circling the Dubai coastline.

The 100% drop-in SAF used on today’s flight includes renewable aromatics and closely mimics the characteristics of conventional jet fuel. This is the first time that drop-in SAF has been used on an A380 aircraft, with the expectation of full compatibility across the aircraft’s existing systems.

The flight carried four tonnes of SAF, comprised of HEFA-SPK provided by Neste (hydro processed esters and fatty acids synthetic paraffinic kerosene) and HDO-SAK from Virent (hydro deoxygenated synthetic aromatic kerosene).

ENOC helped to secure the neat SAF comprised of HEFA-SPK, and blended it with Sustainable Aviation Kerosene (SAK) at its facility in Dubai International Airport ahead of the demonstration, and also carried out into-plane services.

Tanker arrive to fill sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Emirates Airbus A380 test flight EK2641 which took off from Dubai International Airport with one of A380 jumbo jet's engines to be powered by SAF.

According to Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Airline, the test flight conducted today paves the way for future standardisation, qualification and adoption for 100 per cent SAF flying.

He said, “Emirates is the first passenger airline in the world to operate an A380 with 100 per cent drop-in SAF (sustainable fuel blended with conventional fuel) powering one of four Engine Alliance GP7200 engines.” The PW980 auxiliary power unit (APU) from Pratt and Whitney Canada also ran on 100 per cent SAF.

Al Redha said the test also marks a significant step in validating the use of SAF in one of the engines of the A380, a wide-body aircraft with four engines.

This is the first time drop-in SAF (sustainable fuel blended with conventional fuel) has been used on an A380 aircraft, with the expectation of full compatibility across the aircraft’s existing systems.

SAF needed on a large-scale

Al Redha said, “Now that we have completed this test, the next step would be to ensure the availability of the fuel in various airports. We rely on fuel suppliers to start manufacturing and producing such fuel in the required volume, and that will be the challenge.” He added, “We’re just in the beginning of it and that’s why we’re not seeing the quantity we need but I expect in the next five to seven years we will see a major step-change in this direction.”

The growing global demand for lower-emission jet fuel alternatives is there, said Al Redha. “However, there’s work (cut out) for producers and suppliers to commercialise SAF and make it available will be critical in the coming years,” he explained.