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Singapore Airlines kicks off fuel-efficient flights
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Singapore Airlines aircraft sit at Changi Airport in Singapore. In collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines (SIA) will operate a series of 12 “green package” flights that are said to be the first in the world to combine the use of biofuel, fuel-efficient aircraft and optimized flight operations, meaning that it will reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions. (Bloomberg via The Straits Times/-)
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n collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines (SIA) will operate a series of 12 “green package” flights that are said to be the first in the world to combine the use of biofuel, fuel-efficient aircraft and optimized flight operations, meaning that they will reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions.
Over a three-month period, the package will cater for the non-stop San Francisco-Singapore route using the aircraft’s latest generation and most fuel-efficient Airbus A35-900. The first plane trip, SQ31, departed on May 1 with 206 passengers on board.
SQ31 is powered by a combination of hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), a sustainable biofuel that is produced from used cooking oils and conventional jet fuel.
Read also: Made-in-China jet takes maiden flight
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), sustainable biofuel will help reduce the airline industry’s carbon emissions. It has been certified as safe for use in commercial aviation since 2011 and has been used by other airlines.
“Singapore Airlines’ fleet is already among the most modern and fuel-efficient in the world. We want to push ourselves further and are embarking on this initiative to help promote the use of sustainable biofuel in an operationally and commercially-viable manner,” said SIA chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong in a press release.
Both SIA and CAAS have worked on other carbon emissions-reducing initiatives in international aviation, including participating in the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE) in January 2010. (kes)
