LATAM receives new aircraft using sustainable fuel for first time

Redacción - Aviación al Día

2 years ago

LATAM Group and Airbus carried out their first delivery flight (Ferry Flight) with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), between the cities of Toulouse (France) and Fortaleza (Brazil).

The flight, which used a fuel blend with 30% SAF, produced from used cooking oil, was made in an A320neo, an aircraft with advanced technology to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, and is part of LATAM’s fleet renewal project that will allow the group to have more than 100 A320neo family aircraft in operation by the end of this decade.

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By the end of this year, LATAM expects to have 31 A320neo family aircraft in operation as part of the renewal plan, bringing the group’s total fleet to 323 aircraft by the end of 2023. This will allow it not only to complement its current fleet of new generation aircraft but also to become one of the most modern and efficient fleets in South America, further improving its connectivity. The group currently operates 1,500 daily flights to 147 destinations in 24 countries.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a type of fuel that comes from alternative raw materials such as waste, fats and oils, among others, which are processed to produce a low-CO2 fuel during its life cycle. In this case, the 30% of SAF used in the flight had an attributed reduction factor of about 80% of CO2 in its life cycle, compared to conventional fuel.

“This flight is a joint work between LATAM and Airbus and represents one of our most concrete advances in the group’s agenda regarding the use of SAF. Last year, we announced our interest in reaching a 5% use of SAF by 2030, privileging its production in South America and we did so because we are convinced that sustainable aviation fuels will play an important role in the decarbonization of the industry,” said LATAM Group CFO Ramiro Alfonsín.