On Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) 70th anniversary, the carrier operated its first flight on sustainable biofuel. The morning flight departed from San Francisco Airport on May 1 and arrived in Singapore the next day. SIA partnered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to enable this initiative of twelve biofuel flights with an Airbus A350-900, the airlines’ newest fuel-efficient aircraft.
– Singapore Airlines’ fleet is already among the most modern and fuel-efficient in the world. We now want to push ourselves further and are embarking on this initiative to help promote the use of sustainable biofuel in an operationally and commercially viable manner. This is in line with our long-term commitment to further reduce carbon emissions while improving the efficiency of our operations. This initiative is especially memorable as our first biofuel flight departed from San Francisco on May 1, when Singapore Airlines celebrated its 70th anniversary, said Goh Choon Phong, CEO of SIA in a statement.
Over a three-month period, flight SQ31 will be powered by a blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and conventional jet fuel. The biojet fuel is produced by US renewable fuel producer AltAir Fuels at its facility in Paramount, California.
– AltAir Fuels is honored to participate in Singapore Airlines’ 70th anniversary by producing the fuel for its inaugural biofuel flight. As the world’s first renewable jet refinery, AltAir congratulates SIA in its sustainability leadership and helping raise awareness of low carbon aviation fuel, said Bryan Sherbacow, President of AltAir.
The biojet fuel is made from used cooking oil (UCO) and supplied by SkyNRG, a Netherlands-headed company that sources, blends and distributes sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). in close cooperation with North American Fuel Corporation (NAFCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd (CAO), and fuel supplier EPIC Fuels.
– Following our long-standing relationship with Singapore Airlines (SIA), we’re excited to see that they’re now taking off with their first sustainable flights. We’re proud to work together on this great initiative with our partners CAO, Epic Fuels and AltAir and look forward to further build our joint expertise. For the long term, we’re committed to working together with SIA to develop a regional supply chain for sustainable aviation fuel in Singapore, said Maarten van Dijk, CEO SkyNRG.
The flights are aimed to raise awareness for biofuels in Singapore and provide experience in the logistics and performance of biofuel to industry stakeholders. In the long run, the parties hope to push for the adoption of regular sustainable aviation biofuel usage in the country.
– We are delighted to participate in Singapore Airlines’ first biofuel flight. CAO’s key strategic objective is to become a niche player in future sustainable transportation fuels. This first biofuel transaction marks CAO Group’s maiden contribution to a sustainable and healthy aviation future, further validating our commitment to a sustainable and healthy environment in the global aviation arena, said Meng Fanqiu, CEO of CAO.
– We’ve provided expertise in blending and fuel quality testing in multiple demonstration flights with both airframe manufacturers and airlines over the last several years. We are proud to work with leaders in the industry, such as Singapore Airlines, AltAir Fuels, CAO and SkyNRG, in identifying and fast-tracking technologies that can improve the environmental performance of aviation fuels, said Kai Sorenson, Director of Commercial Sales for EPIC Fuels.
