Aviation firm Gulfstream Aerospace Corp said it completed the world’s first ever trans-Atlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on Monday.
The company said this flight was accomplished with the Gulfstream G600 aircraft on November 19. The flight took off from the company’s headquarters in Savannah and landed 6 hours, 56 minutes later at Farnborough Airport in England, added the firm.
Gulfstream G600 is part of the next generation models designed by the company. First ever G600 was sold to a customer in the United States on August 8, 2019. This milestone came about a month after the model earned its U.S. Federal Aviation Administration type and production certificates.
The aerospace company said it was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW815GA engines, both using 100% SAF. The company said this mission displayed the potential for aviation’s future use of renewable fuels, featuring lower carbon, sulfur and aromatics.
The data collected from this endurance flight will help Gulfstream and its key suppliers gauge aircraft compatibility with future low-aromatic renewable fuels, particularly under cold temperatures for extended flight durations, added the company.
Mark Burns, president at Gulfstream said, “One of the keys to reaching business aviation’s long-term decarbonization goals is the broad use of SAF in place of fossil-based jet fuel.”
The company said, World Energy produced the SAF used on the flight and it was delivered by World Fuel Services. The fuel contained 100 percent Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (neat HEFA), which has at least 70% lower lifecycle CO2 emissions than fossil-based jet fuel, helping to reduce aviation’s impact on climate, said Gulfstream.
In late October, Gulfstream Aerospace completed its expansion of manufacturing facility in the Savannah-based precision for Gulfstream G400, Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600. The company said this expansion increases its facility’s capacity by 142,000 square feet/13,192 square meters.
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