Airbus announced on Friday that their Hamburg plant would start delivering new aircraft with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Air Transat took delivery of two new Airbus A321LRs which will be ferried back to Montreal using a 10 percent SAF blend.
On Friday (July 17, 2020) Airbus announced an expansion of their sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) operations which now includes deliveries from the company’s Hamburg facility. Today, Air Transat took delivery of two new Airbus A321LRs on lease from AerCap, which will be ferried to Montreal utilizing a 10 percent SAF aviation fuel blend. The fuel for Air Transat’s delivery flights was supplied by Air bp and was produced by Neste. Airbus supported the launch of Air Transat’s environmental program 13 years ago and the companies enjoy a long history of cooperation on environmental issues. Air Transat has been operating Airbus narrow and widebody aircraft since 1999. In Friday’s announcement, Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer, Christian Scherer said,
“Sustainability and efficiency are essential for our customers and Airbus. Sustainable aviation fuel developments will play a key role in reducing the environmental footprint of the aviation industry. By using sustainable aviation fuels on delivery flights with partners like AerCap and Air Transat, who are flying the aircraft from Hamburg to their Canadian home base nonstop, we take concrete action to contribute to a more sustainable aviation future.”
Also commenting on today’s milestone, AerCap’s President and Chief Commercial Officer, Philip Scruggs stated,
“We are very pleased to be part of this historic milestone, working together with our partners at Airbus and our long-time customer, Air Transat, to help them meet their sustainable growth ambitions. AerCap is committed to facilitating the move towards more sustainable air travel underpinned by its target to transition its fleet to approximately two-thirds new technology aircraft by 2021.”
Air Transat’s President and General Manager, Jean-François Lemay added,
“Its an honor for us and a sign of confidence from Airbus to be, together with AerCap, the first customer to take advantage of this new delivery option at its Hamburg plant. This initiative is part of our commitment to reducing our own carbon footprint while contributing to the achievement of the airline industry’s ambitious de-carbonization targets. We are proud to be the first Canadian carrier to operate carbon-neutral flights, and we will continue to pursue our commitment to providing our passengers with a travel experience that takes account for our environmental footprint”
In a separate press release from Air Transat, the carrier explained that the first aircraft took off from Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) at 2:04 PM (local time) today and is expected to land at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport at 4:00 PM Friday afternoon (local time). Air Transat’s second A321LR will depart Hamburg for Montreal tomorrow (Saturday, July 18, 2020). Both ferry flights will be carbon neutral because the kerosene fossil-fuel portion of the fuel mix has been offset by the purchase of carbon credits. The two new aircraft are the fifth and sixth Airbus A321LRs to be received by Air Transat as part of a long-term lease agreement wit AerCap for 17 A321neos, including 16 Long Range versions. Compared to previous generation aircraft, the new Airbus jets will consume 15 percent less fuel.
Based in Montreal, Transat A.T. Inc. (Air Transat) is the third largest airline in Canada and leading integrated tourism company specializing in holiday travel. The company offers vacation packages, hotel accommodations and air service to more than 60 destinations over 25 countries in the Americas and Europe.
Source: Air Transat