Singapore has piloted the use of SAF via Changi Airport’s fuel system to Scoot and Singapore Airlines aircraft with great success.
Singapore's path to emission-free aviation took another step forward yesterday when blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) powered Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights from Changi Aiport. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines and investment platform GenZero are working jointly to promote the use of SAF in Singapore.
Their pilot program advanced yesterday with the delivery of blended SAF to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) via the airport's fuel hydrant system. The fuel was loaded directly onto departing Singapore Airlines and Scoot aircraft, the first time this has happened at Changi airport. Neste, a world leader in developing sustainable fuel solutions, will supply 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil's Singapore facilities as part of the pilot program. It's expected the blended fuel will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2,500 tonnes annually.
Among the program partners at Changi airport was Singapore Airlines' senior vice president of corporate planning, Lee Wen Fen. She said that sustainable aviation fuels are a key decarbonization lever and that this pilot demonstrates the commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"Today marks an important milestone in the SIA Group's decarbonization journey, as we uplift a blend of sustainable aviation fuel and jet fuel into our aircraft departing out of Singapore. Working with our partners, we will continue to support the adoption of SAF in Singapore."
Announced in November 2021, the Singapore pilot program follows a study conducted by the Singapore Government and industry players on the operational and commercial viability of using SAF at Changi Airport. The aim is to accelerate the use of SAF in Singapore, with the pilot investigating the overall process of getting SAF into aircraft.
The study starts with the blending of neat SAF in local facilities, the certification of the blended SAF, and the delivery to Changi airport. The aim is to validate SAF options in Singapore and give insights into cost components and potential pricing structures for cost recovery to support policy considerations for SAF deployment.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot have more than 200 aircraft at Singapore Changi Airport. According to ch-aviation.com, SIA's fleet has 130 widebodies, including Airbus A380s and A350s and Boeing B777s and B787s. Scoot has 20 B787s and 40 Airbus A320 family aircraft in its fleet. Yesterday the system of delivering the fuel to the aircraft in an efficient way was proven, but there's no surprise that Singapore's innate ingenuity would not have solved that issue anyway.
The critical question is when will there be enough blended SAF available at Changi to fuel the 213 aircraft in the SIA Group? In 2018 there were 386,000 aircraft movements, landings and take-offs at Changi Airport, and more than 100 airlines operating from the airport. The big issue is producing enough SAF and blended fuel to sustain those numbers in Singapore and at major airport hubs worldwide. Singapore's work proves that SAF is a workable alternative fuel at a major airport; now, it's just the hard part that's left to solve.
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Journalist – A professional aviation journalist writing across the industry spectrum. Michael uses his MBA and corporate business experience to go behind the obvious in search of the real story. A strong network of senior aviation contacts mixed with a boyhood passion for airplanes helps him share engaging content with fellow devotees. Based in Melbourne, Australia.