ATR plane performs first flight with 100% sustainable fuel in tanks

On Tuesday (21), regional aircraft manufacturer ATR, Swedish airline Braathens Regional Airlines and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplier Neste collaborated to complete the first “100% SAF” test flight on a regional commercial aircraft. In this case, one of the tanks was completely full of sustainable fuel..

This historic test flight took place in Sweden and is part of the 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certification process for ATR aircraft, which began in September 2021 and is expected to be completed by 2025. It was the latest in a series of successful ground and flight tests on the ATR 72-600 prototype aircraft carried out in 2022, including flights with 100% SAF on one engine, and today was the first time it was done with 100% SAF on two engines.

When used in its pure form, Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to using fossil aviation fuel.

ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli said: “Today is a historic day for aviation. After more than a century of commercial kerosene-powered flight, we are at the dawn of a new era. Over the past few months, we’ve had a number of successful flights with sustainable fuel in one engine. We have now decided that it was time to perform the first test flight with 100% SAF on both engines. This helps us certify our aircraft to fly only on sustainable fuels faster and allow for more sustainable connections as a result. The flight represents a true milestone for the entire aviation industry as it shows that this technology works and can be readily adopted by many in our industry to accelerate the transition to low-emission aviation.”

“SAF plays a key role in achieving aviation emission reduction targets”, said Jonathan Wood, vice president of Neste Europe, Renewable Aviation. “As a drop-in fuel, it can be used in existing aircraft engines and is compatible with current airport fuel infrastructure. Test flights like this show that it is possible to fly safely at 100% SAF and help accelerate the adoption of SAF in aviation.”

For ATR, today’s flight is proof that accelerating the transition to net zero carbon emissions can only be achieved when all aviation stakeholders work together. It is a milestone not just for Sweden but globally, showing that the technology is available and brings significant benefits to aviation, now and in the future.

ATR chief pilot Cyril Cizabuiroz, Jean-Pierre Marre, co-pilot, and Pascal Daussin, flight test mechanic, flew the Braathens aircraft from Malmo, a coastal city in southern Sweden, to Bromma, near Stockholm. , which took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The results of today’s flight will be analyzed and released later.

ATR information

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