Bordeaux Airport has become the first major airport in France to offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) permanently. The airport has partnered with French energy firm TotalEnergies to provide cooking oil-based sustainable fuel mixed with up to 30% Jet-A1 fuel.
SAF initiative at Bordeaux Airport
Bordeaux Airport (BOD) has revealed that it will offer a permanent supply of SAF in partnership with TotalEnergies, a French energy company that also produces sustainable fuels.
Yesterday, three flights departing from Bordeaux were refueled with 30% SAF by TotalEnergies - these flights were Lufthansa flight LH1085 to Frankfurt, Air France flight AF7627 to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, and an ambulance flight operated by Airlec.
Simon Dreschel, Chairman of the Board of SA Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac, said,
"We are proud to be able to offer this service to airlines on a permanent basis at Bordeaux Airport and thus contribute to reducing their carbon footprint. We are committed to decarbonizing all airport activities and supporting the objective of transforming the entire aviation sector by 2050."
Bordeaux Airport becomes the third airport in France to permanently offer sustainable aviation fuel, after Le Bourget Airport and Clermont-Ferrand Airport.
French legislation mandates that airlines must use at least 1% sustainable fuel by 2022, going up to 2% in 2025, 5% in 2030 and 50% by 2050.
Cooking oil SAF
TotalEnergies began producing SAF in April 2021 at itsLa Mède biorefinery in southern France and its Oudalle facility near Le Havre. The company expanded its SAF production after opening up a new site in Normandy, with another processing facility near Paris set to open in 2024.
The sustainable fuel is manufactured with used cooking oils and mixed with up to 30% Jet-A1 fuel. According to Bordeaux Airport, the SAF offers up to a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions over its entire life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
Joël Navaron, President of TotalEnergies Aviation, said,
"Sustainable aviation fuels represent the immediately available solution for a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from air transport. Bordeaux Airport is the third airport at which TotalEnergies offers a permanent supply of sustainable aviation fuel at an incorporation rate of 30%, after Le Bourget and Clermont-Ferrand. This partnership once again proves our commitment to supporting our customers in their energy transition challenges and is in line with the company's ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, together with society."
TotalEnergies has reached several milestones in sustainable fuels, including the first SAF delivery to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), the first permanent SAF supply in France at Le Bourget Airport, and powering the world's first 100% SAF Airbus A319neo flight in Toulouse.
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Sustainability at Bordeaux
Bordeaux Airport has been one of the more proactive airports in France when it comes to sustainability. The airport invested over $8 million into its environmental projects and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
Jean Pouget, Head of Safety, Compliance Quality and Environment at Bordeaux Airport, told Airport Technology,
"The main project is the commitment to the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program. The airport got the first level (ACA 1) in June 2021 and aims at being carbon-neutral with offsets before 2030 (ACA3+) through an action plan to reduce its CO2 emissions, and in the longer term those of its on-site partners."
The airport aims to reach ACA Level 2 this year and has implemented a wide range of initiatives, including renewable energy, water-saving technology and biodiversity preservation.
National carrier Air France recently unveiled its emission reduction scheme, which Simple Flying explored in more detail.
Have you visited Bordeaux Airport recently? What do you think of the airport's sustainability initiatives? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Airport Technology