Airbus completes first A380 flight fully powered by green fuel

The flight ran on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

The first Airbus A380 flight using SAF lasted three hours and was equipped with a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 running engine running on 27 tonnes of unblended SAF provided by TotalEnergies.

Produced in Normandy, the SAF was made from hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), free of aromatics and sulphur and primarily consisting of used cooking oil, as well as other waste fats.

A second flight, using the same aircraft, travelled from Toulouse to Nice Airport, went on to test the use of SAF during take-off and landing.

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This is the third Airbus aircraft type to fly on 100% SAF over the past 12 months. The first was an Airbus A350, which made its SAF journey in March 2021, followed by an A319neo single-aisle aircraft, which flew on SAF in October 2021.

Increasing the use of SAF remains a key pathway to achieving the industry’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

According to the Waypoint 2050 report, SAF could contribute between 53% and 71% of the carbon reductions required for the goal to be met.

All Airbus aircraft are currently certified to fly with a blend of up to 50% SAF mixed with kerosene. The aim is to achieve certification for the use of 100% SAF by the end of the decade.

The A380 used during the test is the same aircraft recently revealed as Airbus’ ZEROe Demonstrator. The aircraft is a flying testbed for future technologies and is instrumental to bringing the world’s first zero-emission aircraft to market by 2035.

For more information, visit www.airbus.com