ATR and TotalEnergies partners with NAC to offer equivalent of 6% SAF in aircraft operations
ATR aircraft deliveries to NAC under the initiative will use a blend of 30% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), saving four tonnes of CO2 for each batch of five aircraft. This means that starting in 2023, the first leg of every ferry flight will have a 6% SAF blend.
Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, ATR’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “This joint initiative from NAC and AirSwift demonstrates how much our customers are demanding tangible solutions to reduce emissions. As a manufacturer, all our efforts in terms of technology and innovation are going in that direction, leveraging an already highly efficient platform. We were the first to fly a commercial aircraft with 100% SAF in both engines and we will continue pushing the whole ecosystem towards more SAF availability, convinced that sustainable fuels will play a critical role in the decarbonisation of air transport both in the short and long-term.”
With a new ATR 72-600 from the NAC Skyline that left Toulouse for the Philippines on November 27, 2023, AirSwift is the first airline to benefit from the programme. Because of the high efficiency of the turboprop technology and ATR’s unwavering commitment to further reducing CO2 emissions and operating costs, the ATR 72-600 is the lowest emission regional aircraft available.
Joël Navaron, President of TotalEnergies Aviation said, “We are proud to offer solutions that emit less CO2, such as SAF. Our mission is to support our customers in their energy transition. These deliveries are a new step forward for TotalEnergies, in line with our ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, together with the society.”
When compared to regional jets of a comparable size, the ATR 72-600 boasts an impressive 45% lower carbon dioxide emissions. ATR has already received certification to operate with a 50% SAF blend, and by 2025, it plans to have all of its aircraft family 100% SAF ready.
Alfonso Reyes, CEO of AirSwift, said, “We are very pleased to partner with NAC and ATR for this new addition to our fleet, and especially that we will be the first customer in Southeast Asia to use SAF for our initial delivery flight. Ayala and AirSWIFT are fully committed to sustainability and to reducing our carbon emissions as we work towards our Net Zero 2050 goals. We are hopeful that greater investment in this space will create the momentum necessary for SAF to become more widely available on a commercial basis in the coming years.”
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Norman C.T. Liu, President & CEO of NAC, said, “This is an important step for NAC to manage our environmental impact. We are pleased to play a role in facilitating our customer’s transition to SAF.”
TotalEnergies produces the SAF at its facilities in France using leftovers and wastes like used cooking oil or animal fats. After that, it is blended at a rate of thirty percent with regular Jet A-1. Over the course of its whole lifecycle, Neat SAF could help cut CO2 emissions by up to 90% when compared to its fossil equivalent.
