On May 18, 2021, an Air France airliner flew the Paris-Montreal route powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced in France.
The flight provided a tangible example of the stakeholders’ shared ambition to decarbonize air transportation.
AIR FRANCE-KLM
Air France-KLM is a pioneer in testing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The Group has multiplied the number of innovative programs, notably by carrying out 78 Air France flights powered by a 10% SAF blend between 2014 and 2016 in collaboration with TotalEnergies.
AIRBUS
Airbus is conducting several series of in-flight tests to certify airliners to fly with 100% SAF in the coming decades. At the same time, Airbus is working to reduce its fleet’s fuel consumption. The Airbus A350 used for the Paris-Montreal flight consumes 25% less fuel than its predecessors.
TOTALENERGIES
After successfully starting production of sustainable aviation fuel at La Mède and Oudalle in France in March 2021, TotalEnergies supplied the Paris-Montreal flight with SAF from the two facilities. The 16% blend on this flight avoided the emission of 20 tons of CO2. On the tarmac, TotalEnergies uses pure electric refueling vehicles to accelerate the decarbonization of its airport operations.
GOVERNMENT
By developing a French SAF value chain, TotalEnergies is showing that it is ready as of now to respond to changes in French legislation, which call for aircraft to use at least 1% SAF by 2022, 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030.
PASSENGERS
To offset part of the extra cost of using SAF, Air France included a ″sustainable aviation fuel″ contribution in ticket prices. Passengers who want to offset their carbon footprint may also voluntarily participate in the purchase of additional SAF.