Airbus to use sustainable fuel for UK Beluga flights

Airbus is extending the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for its Beluga cargo flights to the Broughton in the UK.

The airframer said that the north Wales line station, which uses the Beluga fleet to transport aircraft wings to Toulouse, Hamburg and Bremen, becomes the second Airbus European site to use SAF, after Hamburg introduced the fuel to its cargo activities at the end of 2019.

“This first flight by a Beluga transporter from Broughton, partially fuelled with SAF, marks an important milestone in Airbus’ ambition to decarbonise its industrial operations,” said Tony Derrien, sustainable aviation fuels project manager, Airbus.

Sustainable aviation fuels are currently certified by regulators for up to 50% use in commercial flights; but the Beluga fleet operating from Broughton will initially be loaded with a 35% blend of non-fossil derived fuel, set to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 400 tonnes over the next three months.

The SAF used by the Beluga fleet is made from used sustainable feedstocks, such as cooking oil, and supplied to Airbus in Broughton and Hamburg by Air bp.

The last few months have seen a host of airlines and forwarders announce SAF programmes as the industry looks to reduce its impact on the environment.

Earlier today, it was announced that CEVA Logistics had joined United Airlines’ sustainability initiative, the Eco-Skies Alliance.

CEVA Logistics and other Eco-Skies Alliance companies are working with United to collectively purchase approximately 3.4m gallons of SAF this year.