Daher shared its experience in the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the company's flight operations at the Tarbes, France headquarters of its aircraft division at a media briefing held at EBACE.

Senior vice president Nicolas Chabbert noted that the company is fully committed to the use of sustainable aviation fuels for the transition to low-carbon emission aviation and that it wants to set an example. However, the availability of such fuel is still an issue, and he hopes to see it soon available everywhere.

Chabbert says: “Therefore, we took the initiative of going a step further by joining with the Spanish airline Volotea, a carrier that connects small and mid-sized cities in Europe and which flies from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport as part of its route network, to convince the fuel provider World Fuel Services to supply SAF on the platform. We expect our example will bring other operators to use renewable energy on aircraft.”

World Fuel Services vice president of sales for business aviation in EMEA James Hardacre adds: “With Daher's adoption of SAF for its needs at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport, all users at this facility can now benefit from our supply of Neste-blended Jet A fuel.”

Daher's flight operations, which include production, testing, training, maintenance and delivery/liaison activities from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport, use a jet fuel blended with 30 per cent of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel supplied by World Fuel Services.

Produced from sustainably sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials, the application of Neste MY SAF in its 'neat' form reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 per cent over the fuel's life cycle compared to fossil-based jet fuel. When utilised as a drop-in fuel compatible with existing aircraft engines and airport infrastructure, Neste MY SAF is blended with fossil jet fuel and certified to meet ASTM jet fuel specifications.