Airbus Helicopters is bringing the industry together to drive the deployment of biofuels through the creation of a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) User Group dedicated to the rotary wing community. As a pioneer in the civil turbine rotorcraft market, the company is calling all major stakeholders to join the initiative, which aims at reducing aviation's impact on citizens and the environment.

With the SAF User Group, Airbus Helicopters plans to tackle the remaining challenges around biofuels and proactively support the industry's CO2 reduction commitment, thanks to constant cooperation with partners from all areas of the aviation sector. Through this inclusive approach, the SAF User Group aspires to collectively work on ways to accelerate the use of blended SAF kerosene and to pave the way towards 100 per cent SAF flights for future fleets.

“We welcome all helicopter operators, engine manufacturers, fuel system suppliers, energy companies, fuel providers, handling companies and all other stakeholders in the industry that are willing to pioneer sustainable aerospace with us,” says Stefan Thomé, executive VP of engineering and chief technical officer, Airbus Helicopters.

SAF reduces CO2 emissions thanks to the use of residual and waste material such as used vegetable oils and fats. As a result, the fuel has no negative impact on agricultural food production. Biofuels are used under the same performance and safety conditions as conventional fuels, which has made them well-established levers for CO2 reduction in the aviation industry.

Airbus is committed to leading the decarbonisation of the aerospace sector, for its aircraft, satellites and launch vehicles, and is actively engaged in achieving sustainable air travel for future generations. The company has pledged to support an industry-wide decarbonisation movement that includes carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and a 50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. To achieve these objectives, Airbus' decarbonisation strategy focuses on improving fuel burn in current generation aircraft, accelerating the development of new fuels and technologies such as electrification and SAF, optimising day-to-day aircraft operations and supporting market-based measures.

All Airbus-made helicopters are currently certified to run with a blend of as much as 50 per cent SAF in the kerosene.