As part of its commitment to meet the challenges of decarbonization of the aviation industry, Swedish airline Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA), turboprop manufacturer ATR, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) producer Neste will partner to achieve the collective aim of accelerating the certification of 100% SAF of ATR aircraft to fly with 100% Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ – a key pillar of the industry’s decarbonization strategy, which has an immediate impact in reducing CO2 emissions.
The companies aim to perform a demonstration flight in 2022, with one of Braathens Regional Airlines’ ATR aircraft flying with 100% SAF in one engine and 50% SAF in the other, for an anticipated emissions reduction of 64%. It is expected that an ATR flying with 100% sustainable aviation fuel in both engines would reduce CO2 emissions by 82%, if it were flying one of Braathens Regional Airlines’ typical routes. This collaboration follows the successful Perfect Flight venture in 2019 in which every aspect of a BRA ATR flight was optimized, including the use of a 50% SAF blend. This led to a saving of 46% on CO2 emissions, compared to a standard flight.