First A380 powered by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel – made from cooking oil – takes to the skies

Airbus has performed a first A380 flight powered by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Airbus’ A380 test aircraft MSN 1 took off from Blagnac Airport, Toulouse last Friday morning

The flight lasted about three hours, operating one Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on 100% SAF.

27 tonnes of unblended SAF were provided by Total Energies for this flight.

The SAF produced in Normandy, close to Le Havre, France, was made from Hydroprocessed 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, with the same aircraft, is scheduled to take place from Toulouse to Nice Airport, today,  to test the use of SAF during take-off and landing.

It is the third Airbus aircraft type to fly on 100% SAF over the course of 12 months; the first was an Airbus A350 in March 2021 followed by an A319neo single-aisle aircraft in October 2021.

Airbus said the “increasing the use of SAF remains a key pathway to achieving the industry’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Key statistics outlined in the Waypoint 2050 report indicate that SAF could contribute between 53% and 71% of required carbon reductions.”

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