The first test flight of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa

Emirates Airlines flies along the Dubai coast with 100% sustainable fuel

Emirates Airlines announced the implementation of a test flight in one of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, powered by two GE90 engines, using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one of the two engines.

And the tanker stated in a statement that the plane took off today, Monday, January 30, 2023, from Dubai International Airport, led by Captain Khaled Nasser Akram and Captain Vali Fajidar, and flew for more than an hour along the Dubai coast.


The first of its kind

The Emirates Airlines test flight is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa that operates on 100% sustainable fuel, at a time when the flight supports efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as the industry looks to expand its use of this type of fuel. It also supports future credits, to agree to use 100% sustainable fuels to operate aircraft.

And «Emirates Airlines» indicated that there is currently approval for the use of sustainable fuel in all aircraft, but only with a mixture of up to 50% of conventional aviation fuel.


Sustainability year

The test flight of "Emirates Airlines" with 100% sustainable aviation fuel is also of particular importance with the UAE declaring 2023 the "Year of Sustainability". During the year, the UAE's commitment to searching for innovative solutions to various challenges, such as energy, climate change and others, will be highlighted. of issues related to sustainability.


milestone

And the Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Airlines, Adel Al-Ridha, considered the trip a milestone for Emirates Airlines, and a positive step in the industry.

"We are working collectively to address one of the biggest challenges, which is reducing carbon emissions," he said.



He added, “It was a long way to see this demonstration, and to take off a flight with 100% sustainable fuel, at a time when such initiatives contribute mainly to enhancing industry knowledge about sustainable fuels, and provide data to prove the suitability of using a higher mixture of this fuel, to obtain future regulatory approvals.

And Al-Ridha expressed his hope that test flights, such as the Emirates Airlines flight, would help open the door to expanding the sustainable fuel supply chain, making it available on a larger scale, providing it across geographical areas, and most importantly, that it be affordable, given its reliance in the industry on wider scope in the future.


road map

For his part, the CEO of the "ENOC Group", Saif Hamid Al Falasi, praised this achievement, especially as it comes in conjunction with the declaration of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, 2023 as the "Year of Sustainability" in the UAE.

He said that it represents a major step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving climate neutrality.

And he continued: «(ENOC Group) is keen to cooperate with its strategic partners, to implement the national roadmap for sustainable fuel for aircraft, which aims to accelerate the decarbonization of the aviation sector, contribute to achieving the state’s goals in climate neutrality, enhance fuel efficiency and preserve it, and make the Emirates A regional center for sustainable aviation fuel.

He stressed that the "ENOC Group" plays a major role in supplying Dubai airports with aviation fuel, and contributes to this great achievement by securing the group's sustainable aviation fuel and its blends, and will have an active role in the future to secure this type of fuel in the UAE.


"zero carbon"

In the same context, Aziz Koleilat, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing in the Middle East at GE Aerospace, congratulated Emirates Airlines on this achievement, and said that sustainable fuel is critical to helping the aviation industry reach its goal of achieving net zero emissions. by 2050.

As for Boeing Vice President for Sales and Marketing in the Middle East, Omar Erekat, he said: “We congratulate (Emirates Airlines) on this successful test flight using sustainable fuel, which will play an important role in the aviation industry’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, which requires Strong cooperation between the various circles of the industry ».


Safe fuel source

The first Emirates flight that used sustainable fuel dates back to 2017, with a Boeing 777-300ER that took off from Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

It also took delivery of the first A380 aircraft operating on sustainable fuel in December 2020, and carried 32 tons of this fuel on one of its flights from Stockholm that year.

The test flight demonstrates the viability of sustainable aviation fuel as a safe and reliable fuel source.

The promising outcome of this initiative also adds to the body of industry data and research on sustainable fuel blends at higher rates, paving the way for standardization and future approval of 100% sustainable fuel as an alternative to conventional jet fuel, much higher than the currently approved 50% blend.

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