Emirates has operated its first milestone demonstration flight on a Boeing 777-300ER, powering one of its engines with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
This follows the recent successful ground engine testing for one of its GE90 engines.
The flight took off from Dubai International Airport on Sunday, January 29, with Captain Fali Vajifdar and Captain Khalid Nasser Akram in command, flying for more than an hour over the Dubai coastline. The flight deck crew were accompanied by Adel Al Redha, Emirates COO, and Captain Hassan Hammadi, Divisional Senior VP of Emirates Flight Operations.
Emirates’ demonstration flight, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, supports broader efforts to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions as the industry looks to scale up its use of SAF. The flights will also help to improve future SAF demonstrations, and support future certification where 100% drop-in SAF is approved for aircraft.
Currently, SAF is approved for use in all aircraft, but only in blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel. 100% SAF reduces carbon emissions over the fuel’s life cycle by up to 80%.
Emirates, GE Aerospace and Boeing originally signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a programme for conducting a test flight using 100% SAF on an Emirates 777-300ER powered by GE90 engines at the Dubai Airshow in 2021.
The airline worked with partners GE Aerospace, Boeing, Honeywell, Neste, and Virent Inc. throughout 2022 on SAF blend testing. The partners have now developed a blend with the same qualities and performance of conventional jet fuel.
