ATR & Braathens Regional Airlines Conduct 100% SAF Flight

Braathens Regional Airlines - ATR-72-600 - Photo Source: Daniel Nicholson - AirTeamImages.com

On June 21, ATR and Swedish airline Braathens Regional Airlines and Finnish sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplier Neste collaborated to make the first 100% SAF flight operated by a commercial, regional aircraft.

According to information, Neste My Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ reduces greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle by up to 80 percent compared to fossil aviation fuels.

The historic flight (BRX1SAF) operated with BRA'S Aerospatiale ATR 72-600 (SE-MKK) departed Malmo (MMX/ESMS) at 10:36 (CEST) for Stockholm (BMA / ESSB), where it landed at 11:46 (CEST) in Sweden's capital. The flight lasted 1 hour and 9 minutes and was piloted by ATR's chief pilot Cyril Cizabuiroz and co-pilot Jean Marre.

BRX1SAF Flight Data 

ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli commented: "Today is a historic day for aviation. After more than a century of commercial flights powered by kerosene, we are at the dawn of a new era. In recent months, we carried out a series of successful flights with sustainable fuel in one engine. We now decided it was time to perform the first test flight with 100% SAF in both engines. This helps us to certify our aircraft to fly solely on sustainable fuels faster and to enable more sustainable connections as a result. The flight represents a true milestone for the entire aviation industry as it shows that this technology works and can be promptly adopted by many in our industry to speed up the transition to low emission aviation."

"SAF plays a key role in achieving aviation's emission reduction goals. When used in neat form, at 100% concentration as on this test flight, Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle by up to 80%* compared to fossil jet fuel use, and provides non-CO2 benefits additionally through significantly reduced particulate emissions, among others. As a drop-in fuel, it can be used in existing aircraft engines and is compatible with current airport fuel infrastructure. Test flights like this show it is possible to safely fly on 100% SAF and help accelerate the adoption of SAF in aviation." - said Jonathan Wood, Neste's Vice President Europe, Renewable Aviation. 

SE-MKK Flight Log (Altitude & Speed) 

Braathens Regional Airlines Fleet Utilization Statistics provided by AirNav RadarBox 

Per G Braathen, Chairman of Braathens Regional Airlines, said: "As a leading Swedish domestic airline, our sustainability focus started long before any other airline, and this milestone is one of the main pillars and represents a real innovation for the industry. It proved that 100% SAF is the most immediate and effective option we have to reduce CO2 emissions and move faster to a decarbonized industry." - Concludes him.