Gulfstream has sold its first batch of sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) to a US-based multinational corporation. The customer purchased 20,000 pounds of SAJF from Gulfstream’s Long Beach, California facility for a G550.

“This sale is a direct result of our efforts to increase the visibility and availability of sustainable alternative jet fuel for our customers,” said president Mark Burns. “We are committed to helping promote the increased use of SAJF throughout the industry. We’ve been using the fuel since 2016 with our corporate, demonstration and flight test fleets, and we’re now proud to offer it to operators as well. We look forward to the day this fuel is commonplace in our industry and we are all doing our part to reduce emissions worldwide.”

At the recent Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability event held at California’s Van Nuys airport, Gulfstream announced that it would offer SAJF this year to customers using the Long Beach facility. The OEM has also pledged to use the fuel on large-cabin aircraft completions flights departing from Long Beach airport.

Gulfstream has used a 30/70 blend of low-carbon, drop-in SAJF and Jet-A in operations at its Savannah headquarters since 2012. California-based World Energy, which has a refinery approximately 10 miles from Long Beach airport, produces the SAJF Gulfstream uses.

The FAA has confirmed that SAJF is safe to use. It meets the same fuel specifications as conventional Jet-A and offers equivalent performance. Each gallon of SAJF burned achieves more than a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, relative to petroleum-based jet fuel, on a life cycle basis.

Gulfstream’s sustainability strategy helps support the business aviation industry goals established by the NBAA, GAMA and IBAC. In addition to the goal of carbon-neutral growth by 2020, the industry-wide targets include an improvement in fuel-efficiency and a reduction in total carbon dioxide emissions.