Airbus, aiming to pioneer sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world has always has been at the forefront of innovating new technologies, with a pioneering spirit that has redefined the aerospace industry. Their next challenge is to lead the way in making zero-emission commercial aircraft a reality. In their mission to bring zero-emission aviation to reality, they launched the eZero program and tested the use of hydrogen combustion technology will work on the A380 test platform.
The A380 MSN1 test aircraft are earmarked for a new role: to take the lead on testing the technologies that will be vital to bringing the world’s first zero-emission aircraft to market by 2035.
The Jumbo A380
The Airbus A380 aircraft, one of the most iconic aircraft ever made, the world’s largest and most spacious passenger jet is in limelight again, and this time for the most unconventional reason. Last time, Airbus used this aircraft as a testbed for hydrogen combustion technology and this time Airbus conducted a successful test flight of the A380 using 100 per cent SAF, a milestone in itself. The size of this aircraft makes it ideally suited to the role of a test platform. This is the third Airbus aircraft after A350 and A319neo to test unblended sustainable aviation fuel over the course of 12 months; the first was an Airbus A350 in March 2021 followed by an A319neo single-aisle aircraft in October 2021.
Launched in December 2000, the iconic A380 has flown over 800,000 flights carrying more than 300 million passengers since its entry into service. Even as its production comes to a close, the A380 will keep flying for decades to come, and Airbus is continuing to fully support A380 operators and their fleets.
The A380 introduces passengers to superior standards of in-flight comfort, from first class to economy. As the world’s largest and most spacious passenger aircraft, its cabin allows travellers to stretch out in a calm and relaxing environment. With the freedom it gives passengers to move about the aircraft, it’s no surprise that the A380 is a favourite in all cabin classes.
It has two full-length decks with widebody dimensions. With more seats than any other aircraft, the A380 offers a solution for traffic growth and airport congestion as we emerge from the pandemic.
An industry-wide decarbonisation initiative
The Airbus A380 MSN1 took off at 08h43 from Toulouse’s Blagnac Airport on 25 March 2022 with one out of four engines operating on 100 per cent SAF. The flight lasted about three hours, operating one Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on 100 per cent SAF. 27 tonnes of unblended SAF were provided by TotalEnergies for this flight.
This marked the first flight test campaign to use 100 per cent SAF on all flight phases, from take-off and climb to cruise and landing.
While the first flight test phase focused on outboard engine behaviour of 100% SAF and APU testing, the forthcoming second flight test phase will test this fuel type on the inboard engine and its impact on fuel gauging. On 29 March, the A380 will take off from Toulouse, head towards Nice and return to Toulouse in order to increase engine exposure to 100% SAF.
The A380 aircraft used during the test is the same aircraft recently revealed as Airbus’ ZEROe Demonstrator – a flying testbed for future technologies instrumental to bringing the world’s first zero-emission aircraft to market by 2035.
Wolfgang Absmeier, Airbus Test Pilot said, “This is the first time that unblended SAF has been used on an A380 flight test platform. The flight test met all of our requirements, which will enable us to carry out the next phase of the project consisting of specific engine manoeuvres.”
With this feat, A380 officially joins a group of select aircraft that have performed this type of in-flight test – one that includes the A350 and the A319neo. Apart from this the A380 as also raised the bar for environmental standards thanks to exceptional fuel efficiency and low noise levels. In fact, the latest Airbus programmes continue to benefit from the many innovations developed for the A380.
François Pfindel, Airbus Head of A380 MAP said, “This is another great example of the aviation industry coming together to work towards achieving certification of 100% SAF by 2030. Together, we’ve clearly demonstrated that an aircraft as large as the A380 can successfully operate on unblended SAF.”
“Due to the A380’s engine and fuel system configuration, analysing engine and fuel system behaviours with 100% SAF needs to be managed over multiple flights,” François explains. “In doing so, we’ll generate a wealth of data that will help us to complement the research programmes currently underway.”
Partners
The flight test campaign is supported by a variety of partners. Rolls-Royce is conducting compatibility studies related to the engine adaptation for the Trent 900. Pratt & Whitney is providing support for the auxiliary power unit (APU). And TotalEnergies is supplying the unblended SAF.
Used Cooking oil
Indeed, the 100 per cent SAF is made from hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), which generally consists of used cooking oil and other waste fats. What sets this SAF apart is that it is not mixed with any fossil fuels. Approximately 27 tonnes of SAF will be used for the flight test campaign and is produced in Normandy close to Le Havre, France.
Increasing the use of SAF remains a key pathway to achieving the industry’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Key statistics outlined in the Waypoint 2050 report indicate that SAF could contribute between 53 per cent and 71 per cent of required carbon reductions. All Airbus aircraft are currently certified to fly with up to a 50 per cent blend of SAF mixed with kerosene. The aim is to achieve certification of 100 per cent SAF by the end of this decade.
Following this 100 per cent SAF flight test campaign spanning two weeks, the A380 MSN1 will be renovated to restore its aircraft testing capability and subsequently transformed into the ZEROe demonstrator to test hydrogen combustion technology in the years to come.
Current research programmes – ECLIF3 and VOLCAN – will continue their test campaigns throughout 2022 and 2023 with the A350 and the A319neo. Because the A380 MSN1 has a very limited test window available, the test campaign’s focus is to gather as much data across the aircraft as possible over a two-week period.
Now, this incredible feat of engineering is set to further enhance its legacy by playing a vital role in helping to achieve certification of 100 per cent SAF by 2030.
Total Orders and Deliveries – Out of the 251 net orders, 249 A380s have been delivered to 14 customers
A380 operators: Asiana, British Airways, China Southern, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and ANA.
In-Service status
- The A380 is operated in 70+ destinations
- Over 400 airports worldwide are A380 compatible
- Since its entry into service, the A380 has carried over 300 million passengers
- Total cycles: above 800 000
- Total flight hours: more than 7 300 000
- Over 50 per cent of A380 capacity is from/to/within the Asia-Pacific region, of which around 15% is on regional flights within Asia (OAG 2017)
- Operational reliability 99+ per cent
The A380 is and remains the best solution for growth, especially where airport capacity is limited and when traffic growth is doubling every 15 years. The A380 noise footprint is half the noise of previous-generation aircraft. Lower emissions, significantly below international guidelines and 33 per cent better fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared to previous generation aircraft.
Interesting facts about A380
- Each A380 consists of around 4 million individual components with 2.5-million-part numbers produced by 1500 companies from 30 countries around the world.
- The aircraft is certified to a max seating capacity of 853
- The aircraft has 220 windows and 16 doors.
