On August 25, Air France welcomed a new A220-300 from Airbus, flown from Mirabel, Canada, to Paris with a 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend. This delivery marks a significant step in the airline’s sustainability journey, as the aircraft joins Air France’s growing fleet of 46 A220s. Notably, this is the first time Airbus’s Canadian facility has directly provided sustainability credentials to a customer, highlighting the company’s commitment to greener aviation. Airbus has designed its aircraft to operate with up to 50% SAF and aims for all models to be 100% SAF-compatible by 2030.
The newly delivered aircraft, named Vaison-la-Romaine, showcases the potential of SAF in reducing emissions. By using a 50% SAF blend, the flight cut over 25 tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional jet fuel. SAF is a crucial component in the aviation industry’s efforts to lower carbon emissions, with projections suggesting it could account for more than half of the sector’s CO2 reduction by 2050. Air France-KLM’s SVP of Group Sustainability, Blaise Brigaud, emphasized the importance of combining fleet renewal with SAF usage, noting that receiving SAF directly at delivery is a significant advancement for transparency and industry progress.
Airbus has been offering SAF options for aircraft deliveries since 2016, and now all its delivery centers, including those in Toulouse, Hamburg, Mobile, Tianjin, and Mirabel, provide this option. In the first half of 2025, 78% of Airbus aircraft were delivered with a SAF blend, reflecting the company’s dedication to sustainable practices. Airbus Canada CEO Benoît Schultz highlighted that last year, 75% of their 766 aircraft deliveries included SAF. The company has also been using sustainable fuel in its operations for nearly a decade, with a goal to increase internal SAF usage to at least 30% by 2030.
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Originally reported by Simple Flying Read More
