Brazilian renewable jet fuel tested in Azul flight

Azul Brazilian Airlines (ABA) hosted a demonstration jet flight using fuel made from locally-sourced sugarcane recently.

ABA has been working with sustainable fuel producers Amyris since 2009 on renewable jet fuel developments and the Embraer E195 flight left Campinas Viracopos airport, landing safely at the Santos Dumont airport in Rio on 19 June.

‘Our commitment to reducing our dependency on volatile petroleum products goes beyond reducing our costs,’ says ABA COO Flavio Costa. ‘The main objective is to innovate in our service offerings, using the best technologies to reduce our carbon footprint. We also want our customers to know  that they are not just choosing an airline that is merely concerned about the environment, but is taking steps to preserve it.’

A lifecycle analysis and sustainability study developed by the Institute for International Trade Negotiations indicated that the Amyris renewable jet fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 82% when compared to convention fossil-derived jet fuel.

‘Our renewable jet fuel has been designed to be compliant with Jet A/A-1 fuel specifications. To that end, we have successfully undertaken a series of tests that measure its performance,’ says Amyris CEO John Melo. "This demonstration flight caps a major milestone in our jet fuel program and allows us to pursue both our certification and commercialisation goals.’