GE Aerospace reached a new milestone for a more sustainable future of flight with the completion of testing on its tenth engine model using 100% SAF since 2016, confirming the company and its joint ventures have one of the most expansive programmes for testing the alternative fuel in the industry.
For example, in 2018, GE90 engines powered the first commercial airliner flight with 100% SAF in both engines on the Boeing ecoDemonstrator, a 777 freighter in partnership with FedEx Express. Then in 2021, LEAP-1B engines (CFM56 and LEAP engines are a product of CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines) powered the first passenger experimental flight with 100% SAF in one of the two engines on a United Airlines Boeing 737-8. This year, LEAP-1B engines powered test flights on 100% SAF in both engines of the Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 737-10 destined for United Airlines, as part of emissions testing with NASA. Most recently, in November, Emirates became the first airline to operate an Airbus A380 using 100% SAF in one of the four GP7200 engines (GP7200 engines are a product of Engine Alliance, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney).
Additional engines tested at the component, engine, or aircraft level using 100% SAF include F414, GE9X, LEAP-1A, Passport, GEnx, HF120 (HF120 engines are a product of GE Honda Aero Engines LLC, a 50/50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Honda Aero, Inc) and CFM56 engines. The wide range of tests represents a mix of propulsion systems used for domestic and international commercial air travel, military aviation, and business and general aviation. These tests also evaluated a wide scope of factors, such as engine performance and the impact of 100% SAF on contrails and emissions.
