United Airlines has become the world’s first airline to operate a passenger flight with one engine running on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
SAFs are produced with materials other than crude oil, and produce up to 80 per cent fewer carbon emissions.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew from Chicago to Washington DC carrying 100 passengers including United’s CEO Scott Kirby.
Under Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) rules, US airlines cannot fly using SAF alone, so for Wednesday’s flight, United gained special permission to fly with 500 gallons of SAF alone in one engine, and the same amount of traditional jet fuel in the other, in a bid to prove there is no operational difference.
The SAF that United used was supplied by World Energy, which makes fuel from agricultural waste, waste from managed forests, and debris destined for landfill.
