Airbus performed its first flight with an A380 using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on Friday in Toulouse, France.
The aircraft chosen for the experiment was the A380 MSN 1, the first to be produced in series, which flew for three hours with one of the engines powered by a fuel based on waste fats and used cooking oil. On Tuesday, March 29, the A380 will fly again for takeoff and landing tests with SAF.
Airbus had already carried out 100% SAF flights using an A350-900 in March 2021 and also an A319neo in October last year. According to the company, all of its aircraft are certified to fly on a blend of up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel, aiming to obtain approval for full SAF use by the end of the decade.
The A380 MSN 1 is being used by Airbus in more sustainable initiatives. The massive aircraft was chosen as a testbed of the hydrogen propulsion system that the company is developing.
The so-called ZEROe Demonstrator will be equipped with a fifth turbofan engine adapted to use liquid hydrogen and which will be installed on a support at the rear of the fuselage.
