Since the first flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) took off in 2008, a lot of progress has been made. Below is a snapshot of what is happening in the field of sustainable aviation fuel today.
The leading edge
A number of airlines have shown real leadership in driving the use of SAF forward by signing multi-million dollar forward purchasing agreements. Others have invested in start-up support for SAF deployment, and some have promoted SAF through test flights, research and investigation of local opportunities.
Leading edge
Recognising leadership in the promotion of sustainable aviation fuel through significant, multi-million dollar forward-purchase agreements with suppliers and/or investments in SAF supply.
Pioneers
Investment and significant start-up support for SAF deployment projects with long-term benefits for the industry, these airlines are providing important first steps for more ambitious action.
Explorers
Have helped with the promotion of SAF through test flights and initial involvement with SAF trials, research and investigation of local opportunities.
| Carrier | Date of first SAF flight | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Air New Zealand | December 2008 | Technical test flight on a Boeing 747 |
| Japan Airlines | January 2009 | Technical test flight on a Boeing 747 |
| Finnair | July 2011 | Series of flights on an Airbus A320-family aircraft between Amsterdam and Helsinki |
| Interjet | July 2011 | Commercial flight on an Airbus A320 between Mexico City and Tuxtla Gutierrez |
| AeroMexico | August 2011 | Commercial flight on a Boeing 777 between Mexico City and Madrid |
| Iberia | October 2011 | Commercial flight on an Airbus A320 between Madrid and Barcelona |
| Thomson Airways | October 2011 | Commercial flight between Birmingham and Arrecife on a Boeing 757 |
| Air France | October 2011 | Series of flights on an Airbus A320-family aircraft between Toulouse and Paris |
| Air China | October 2011 | Technical test flight on a Boeing 747 |
| Alaska Airways | November 2011 | Series of commercial flights on Bombardier Q400 and Boeing 737 aircraft |
| Thai Airways | December 2011 | Commercial flight on a Boeing 777 between Bangkok and Chiang Mai |
| Etihad Airways | January 2012 | Delivery flight on a Boeing 777 from Seattle to Abu Dhabi |
| Latam Airways | March 2012 | Series of flights in Latin America |
| Porter Airlines | April 2012 | Demonstration flight on a Bombardier Q400 from Toronto to Ottawa |
| Jetstar Airways | April 2012 | Commercial flight between Melbourne and Hobart on an Airbus A320 |
| Air Canada | June 2012 | Two commercial flights from Toronto to Mexico City |
| KLM | May 2014 | Commercial flight from Amsterdam to Aruba on Airbus A330-200 |
| GOL Lineas Aéreas | June 2014 | Series of flights during the FIFA World Cup |
| Nextjet | June 2014 | Commercial flight from Karlstad to Stockholm |
| Finnair | September 2014 | Commercial flight from Helsinki to New York on Airbus A330 |
| Lufthansa | September 2014 | Scheduled flight from Frankfurt to Berlin |
| Scandinavian Airlines | November 2014 | Flights between Stockholm and Ostersund and Trondheim and Oslo on Boeing 737 aircraft |
| Norwegian Airlines | November 2014 | Flight between Bergen and Oslo on a Boeing 737 |
| Hainan Airlines | March 2015 | Commercial flight between Shanghai and Beijing on a Boeing 737 |
| Alaska Airlines | June 2016 | Two commercial flights from Seattle to San Francisco and Washington D.C. |
| Alaska Airlines | November 2016 | Commercial demonstration flight from Seattle to Washington D.C. on Boeing 737-800 |
| Braathens Regional Airlines | February 2017 | Commercial flight from Stockholm to Umeå on ATR 72-600 |
| Air Canada | April 2017 | Series of five test flight between Montreal and Toronto |
| Singapore Airlines | May 2017 | Series of trans-Pacific flights between Singapore and San Francisco on Airbus A350 aircraft |
| Various | November 2017 | Commercial flights on 'Fly Green Day' from Chicago by Lufthansa, United Airlines, Etihad, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Korean Air Atlas Air and FedEx |
| Hainan Airlines | November 2017 | Commercial flight from Beijing to Chicago on Boeing 787 |
| China Airlines | December 2017 | Delivery flight of A350-900 from Toulouse to Taipei |
| Qantas | January 2018 | Commercial flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Boeing 787-9 |
| Air Canada | May 2018 | Commercial flight from Edmonton to San Francisco on A320-200 |
| SpiceJet Airlines | August 2018 | Demonstration flight on Bombardier Q400 from Dehradun to Delhi |
| jetBlue Airways | September 2018 | Delivery flight of A321 from Mobile, Alabama to New York |
| Etihad Airways | January 2019 | Commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam on Boeing 787 |
| China Southern Airlines | February 2019 | Delivery flight of A320NEO from Toulouse to Guangzhou |
| Braathens Regional Airlines | May 2019 | 'Perfect Flight’ from Halmstad to Stockholm on ATR 72-600 |
| Various | May 2019 | 21 private aircraft flew to Geneva to the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) |
| United Airlines | June 2019 | Eco-friendly commercial "Flight For the Planet" from Chicago to Los Angeles |
| Delta | July 2019 | Delivery flight of A321 from Mobile, Alabama to Kansas City (first in series of 20 delivery flights to Delta powered by sustainable fuels) |
| Egyptair | July 2019 | Delivery flight of Boeing 787 from Seattle to Cairo |
| Finnair | August 2019 | First two flights backed by “Push for change” initiative from San Francisco to Helsinki |
Retailers
Some airlines are starting to offer direct-to-passenger sales of SAF through their flight booking systems.
