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Pertamina and Garuda have successful first test flight using sustainable fuel
Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia have realized their commitment to actively contribute to Indonesia’s carbon emissions reduction program by continuing to develop environmentally friendly fuel for commercial aircraft, namely Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
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ertamina and Garuda Indonesia have realized their commitment to actively contribute to Indonesia’s carbon emissions reduction program by continuing to develop environmentally friendly fuel for commercial aircraft, namely Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). After their SAF passed the static testing phase, it has now successfully completed its first test flight usage.
The first test flight was conducted on Oct. 4 at Hangar 4 of the Garuda Maintenance Facility AeroAsia at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. The SAF was tested in both the ground round and flight test phases with a commercial Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft owned by national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia with registration number PK-GFX. The test flight lasted one hour and crossed the airspace of Pelabuhan Ratu before returning to land at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
PT LAPI ITB researches conveyed positive results from the first test flight using the SAF, specifically Bioavtur J2.4, with the Boeing 737-800 utilizing it showing good and controlled aircraft response. With those favorable results, Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia are ready to bring their collaboration to its next stage, which is the planned use of the SAF in Garuda Indonesia’s commercial flights.
Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra said the successful test of SAF, specifically Bioavtur J2.4, was part of Garuda Indonesia Group's commitment and ongoing efforts to support various decarbonization initiatives, including the exploration of SAF usage in Garuda Indonesia's flight operations.
"This is a milestone we have been waiting for. It certainly gives us optimism for our joint efforts to realize our big dream of achieving green energy [usage] in the national aviation ecosystem in support of Indonesia's commitment to achieve net-zero emissions (NZE), which is projected to be realized by 2060," Irfan added.
Furthermore, Irfan revealed that after completing all the tests for SAF usage, the collaborative mission between Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia would continue to make history in the national aviation industry by implementing SAF in Indonesia's commercial flights.
"We understand that achieving our green energy management commitment, especially in the aviation ecosystem, cannot be accomplished without support and participation from various parties. Therefore, we would like to express our appreciation to all stakeholders who have helped realize the initial steps in implementing renewable energy in Garuda Indonesia's flight operations," Irfan explained.
"With these results, Garuda Indonesia is ready to explore the use of SAF in our commercial flight operations. Of course, that readiness will be aligned with a comprehensive assessment of SAF implementation and the corporate sector’s readiness to adapt toward its use, especially for commercial flight operations. This [the use of SAF in commercial flights] is the initial step in what we hope could become the aviation ecosystem’s sustainability mission to be increasingly adaptive in contributing to environmental sustainability," Irfan said.
Meanwhile, Pertamina CEO and president director Nicke Widyawati said that as an energy company, Pertamina would continue its efforts to develop green fuels, including the production of SAF for the Indonesian aviation industry.
"SAF is the result of innovation across Pertamina’s functional and subholding subdivisions. It demonstrates our commitment to becoming a leader in the development of renewable fuels, especially aircraft fuels," Nicke said.
Moreover, Nicke explained that Pertamina produced the SAF at PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional’s Green Refinery facility, Cilacap Refinery, using the co-processing ester and fatty acid (HEFA) method. SAF has many advantages, including lower emissions compared to fossil fuel. In the future, SAF will be marketed by PT Pertamina Patra Niaga to the Indonesian aviation industry.
"Pertamina's success in producing SAF is the first in Southeast Asia. It is expected that the SAF could be swiftly marketed to the commercial flight market as a major milestone in Indonesia’s green energy development and contribute to decarbonization programs," continued Nicke.
Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia are not the only parties involved in the SAF’s development. Its successful development is the result of joint efforts with the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Directorate General, the Transportation Ministry, Institut Teknologi Bandung, the Indonesia Biofuel Producer Association (APROBI), the Oil Palm Plantation Support Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), the Oil and Gas Development Center (LEMIGAS), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), as well as Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia subsidiaries.
SAF is being developed as part of the effort to implement the energy transition and to help achieve Indonesia’s target of NZE by 2060.
As a leading company in energy transition, Pertamina is committed to supporting the achievement of Indonesia’s NZE target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All those efforts are in line with the implementation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles across all of Pertamina's business lines and operations.
