The greenhouse gas emission of the air transport industry has now accounted for 2% of overall emission amidst propulsion of development in economy, trade, and tourism. French aerospace giant Airbus, in order to lower its carbon footprint, has used 100% biofuel for its A380 airliner for the first time, and managed to complete a single flight.
This is the third test on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by Airbus in the same year after A350 airliner and single-aisle A319neo airliner. The A380 ZEROe that was used for testing this time will also undergo another test on a hydrogen fuel system subsequently.
This demonstration airline is adopted with 27 tons SAF that is made of edible oil and waste fat, and is powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine. The airline flew for three hours at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on March 28th, before flying for the second time on 29th of the same month all the way to the Nice Cote d’Azur Airport.
Airbus hopes to release the first aircraft with zero emission by 2035, though the company also has another competitor, which is US aerospace giant Boeing, who had utilized a mixed biofuel for its 787 airliner back in 2012, and established the first Pacific route based on biofuel. Boeing opened a biofuel plant in China during 2014 to ensure an unimpeded supply.
Each of the existing Airbus airlines is certified, where 50% of SAF can be added in fuel, though Airbus is aiming to attain 100% SAF certification before the end of this century. According to the Waypoint 2050 report co-composed by aviation specialists, SAF may reduce 53-71% of carbon emission in the future.
(Cover photo source: Airbus)