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They make first flight in history with 100% sustainable fuel in a regional commercial aircraft

Dergam Mousa

Today, regional aircraft manufacturer ATR, Swedish airline Braathens Regional Airlines and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplier Neste supplier Neste collaborated to enable the first ever 100% SAF-powered test flight on a commercial regional aircraft. When used in neat form Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ reduces greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle by up to 80% compared to fossil jet fuel use.

This historic test flight took place in Sweden and is part of the 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certification process of ATR aircraft that started in September 2021 in cooperation with Braathens and Neste and should be completed by 2025. It has been the latest in a series of successful ground and flight tests on the ATR 72-600 prototype aircraft performed at the beginning of 2022, including flights with 100% SAF in one engine, and today it was the first time it was done with 100% SAF in two engines.

→ ATR prepares its next generation of aircraft.

“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”, ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli said.

Chief ATR pilot Cyril Cizabuiroz, Jean-Pierre Marre, co-pilot, and Pascal Daussin, Flight Test Mechanic, flew the Braathens’ aircraft from Malmo a coastal city in southern Sweden to Bromma near Stockholm, which took around 1 hour and 20 minutes. The results of today’s flight will be analysed and released at a later date.

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