Bordeaux Airport has become the first major airport in France to offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) permanently. The airport has partnered with French energy firm TotalEnergies to provide cooking oil-based sustainable fuel mixed with up to 30% Jet-A1 fuel.
SAF initiative at Bordeaux Airport
Bordeaux Airport (BOD) has revealed that it will offer a permanent supply of SAF in partnership with TotalEnergies, a French energy company that also produces sustainable fuels.
Yesterday, three flights departing from Bordeaux were refueled with 30% SAF by TotalEnergies – these flights were Lufthansa flight LH1085 to Frankfurt, Air France flight AF7627 to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, and an ambulance flight operated by Airlec.
French legislation requires airlines to use SAF from 2022. Photo: Boeing
Simon Dreschel, Chairman of the Board of SA Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac, said, “We are proud to be able to offer this service to airlines on a permanent basis at Bordeaux Airport and thus contribute to reducing their carbon footprint. We are committed to decarbonizing all airport activities and supporting the objective of transforming the entire aviation sector by 2050.”
Bordeaux Airport becomes the third airport in France to permanently offer sustainable aviation fuel, after Le Bourget Airport and Clermont-Ferrand Airport.
Cooking oil SAF
TotalEnergies began producing SAF in April 2021 at itsLa Mède biorefinery in southern France and its Oudalle facility near Le Havre. The company expanded its SAF production after opening up a new site in Normandy, with another processing facility near Paris set to open in 2024.
The sustainable fuel is manufactured with used cooking oils and mixed with up to 30% Jet-A1 fuel. According to Bordeaux Airport, the SAF offers up to a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions over its entire life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
Joël Navaron, President of TotalEnergies Aviation, said, “Sustainable aviation fuels represent the immediately available solution for a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from air transport. Bordeaux Airport is the third airport at which TotalEnergies offers a permanent supply of sustainable aviation fuel at an incorporation rate of 30%, after Le Bourget and Clermont-Ferrand. This partnership once again proves our commitment to supporting our customers in their energy transition challenges and is in line with the company’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, together with society.”
TotalEnergies has reached several milestones in sustainable fuels, including the first SAF delivery to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), the first permanent SAF supply in France at Le Bourget Airport, and powering the world’s first 100% SAF Airbus A319neo flight in Toulouse.
Sustainability at Bordeaux
Bordeaux Airport has been one of the more proactive airports in France when it comes to sustainability. The airport invested over $8 million into its environmental projects and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
Jean Pouget, Head of Safety, Compliance Quality and Environment at Bordeaux Airport, told Airport Technology,
“The main project is the commitment to the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program. The airport got the first level (ACA 1) in June 2021 and aims at being carbon-neutral with offsets before 2030 (ACA3+) through an action plan to reduce its CO2 emissions, and in the longer term those of its on-site partners.”
The airport aims to reach ACA Level 2 this year and has implemented a wide range of initiatives, including renewable energy, water-saving technology and biodiversity preservation.
Recently, Vietnam Airlines participated in “The Sustainable Flight Challenge” (TSFC) programme, launched by SkyTeam Airline Alliance, with the first flight from Hanoi to the Republic of Korea’s Seoul.
The programme aims to encourage ideas for aviation sustainable development, further reduce aviation’s impact on the environment and spur breakthrough ideas that can be shared across the industry.
It has drawn the participation of 16 airlines from many countries including the United States, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, China and the Republic of Korea. Participating carriers will be judged across 14 categories by an international panel of judges with members who are experts from related fields. The winners will be honoured at an award ceremony to be held in June.
Since 2019, the airline has reduced more than 60 million plastic bags per year by stopping using plastic wraps for many kinds of things used during flights. It also plans to replace many plastic cutlery with those made from eco-friendly alternative materials.
Cre: Simple Flying
Nguyen Mai Huong-COMM
