Iberia Is To Start Powering Some Long Haul Flights With SAF

Iberia

IATA/ICAO Code:

IB/IBE

Airline Type:

Full Service Carrier

Hub(s):

Madrid Barajas Airport

Year Founded:

1927

Alliance:

oneworld

Airline Group:

IAG

CEO:

Javier Sánchez-Prieto

Country:

Spain

Today, Iberia operated its maiden flight between Madrid and Washington DC and employed fuel produced from waste at the Petronor refinery in Bilbao. This is the first step of Iberia powering some of its long-haul flights with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). Let’s investigate further.

Iberia and SAF

On Wednesday, Iberia flew between Madrid and Washington employing a 288-passenger Airbus A330-200, registration EC-MKI. This was the first Iberia flight to use biofuel, produced thanks to Iberia’s alliance with Repsol, which is a step to reduce emissions in the airline industry by using biofuel produced in Spain from biological waste.

In the next two years, Repsol and Iberia will keep on working to operate flights using up to 50% biofuel produced at the Cartagena plant and synthetic fuel produced in the Petronor plant Bilbao and using HVO (hydro-treated vegetable oil) for airport service vehicles.

Iberia’s Airbus A330-200 has a Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) of 242 tonnes and uses 15% less fuel than previously operated aircraft.

Iberia has operated three long-haul flights employing SAF between Spain and the United States. Photo: Iberia.

More SAF flights coming

Iberia has also used SAF on two additional long-haul flights between Spain and the United States. The first one was between Madrid and San Francisco (IB6193). This route was reopened today following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This flight was operated onboard an Airbus A330-202, registration EC-MNK, first delivered in October 2016.

Finally, the third service Iberia employed SAF was the maiden flight between Madrid and Dallas. The airline also operated an Airbus A330-202, registration EC-MJA. This jetliner is six years old, first delivered in 2016.

Discover more aviation news here.

According to the airline, Iberia and Repsol are reducing CO2 emissions by 125 tonnes with these three flights.

Javier Sánchez-Prieto, Iberia’s Executive Chairman, said,

“Aviation faces a huge challenge that can only be overcome by taking steps like today's, which promote the production of sustainable fuels in sufficient quantities and at competitive prices so that we can continue moving forward in the green transition of the aviation sector.”

Nonetheless, Greenpeace's European Mobility For All Campaign recently released a report in which it accused several airlines of relying on ‘false and inefficient’ solutions such as SAF to tackle emissions.

Herwig Schuster, a spokesperson for Greenpeace, said,

“European airlines are putting up a smokescreen of false solutions that sound great but in effect keep transport hooked on oil, distracting from their staggering emissions, lack of credible climate targets, and insufficient measures to combat the impacts of flying. Even in the face of a climate emergency, airlines carry on polluting the air and hide their dirty business behind a wall of greenwashing."

Several airlines, including Iberia, have been accused of relying on false and inefficient solutions such as SAF to tackle emissions. Photo: Iberia.

The promises of SAF

Currently, SAF represents less than 1% of fuel used in civil aviation, and it is expensive. Nonetheless, this market is projected to grow heavily in the next few years, reaching a value of US$15,716 million by 2030, according to a study by Research and Markets.

Last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved a resolution to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This goal will be mainly achieved through Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Around 65% of the 1.8 gigatons of carbon that have to be mitigated will come from SAF.

What do you think about Iberia’s SAF initiative? Do you agree with Greenpeace regarding the airlines’ “false solutions”? Let us know in the comments below.