Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. said it completed the world’s first transatlantic flight using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A Gulfstream G600 performed the flight on Sunday, taking off from the company’s headquarters in Savannah, Georgia (KSAV), and landing 6 hours and 56 minutes later at Farnborough, England (EGLF).
The aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney PW815GA engines ran on 100 percent SAF, demonstrating aviation’s potential for wider use of renewable fuels with lower emissions of carbon, sulfur, and aromatics.
Gulfstream said it will use the data collected from the test flight to measure compatibility between its aircraft and future renewable fuels. The company plans to focus in particular on the fuel’s performance in cold conditions and during long-duration flights.
“Gulfstream is innovating for a sustainable future,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream Aerospace. “One of the keys to reaching business aviation’s long-term decarbonization goals is the broad use of SAF in place of fossil-based jet fuel. The completion of this world-class flight helps to advance business aviation’s overarching sustainability mission and create positive environmental impacts for future generations.”
The SAF used for the test flight, which was produced by World Energy and delivered by World Fuel Services, was made from 100 percent hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (neat HEFA). The fuel has “at least 70 percent lower lifecycle CO2 emissions” compared with fossil-based jet fuel, Gulfstream said.
- READ MORE: Gulfstream Shows Off New Fleet at NBAA 2022
“Gulfstream continues to break new ground in the sustainable aviation space, and we applaud them for completing this mission as we work to validate the compatibility of our engines with unblended SAF,” said Anthony Rossi, vice president of sales and marketing for Pratt & Whitney Canada.
Other key partners supporting the flight include Honeywell, Safran, and Eaton.
“We’d like to thank all our partners for their help in making this milestone flight happen and for their ongoing partnership in collaborating with the extended SAF community to champion the aviation industry’s path to 100 percent SAF usage,” Burns said.
