An ARJ21 aircraft takes off from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, June 5, 2024. /CFP
An ARJ21 regional aircraft and C919 passenger aircraft completed their first demonstration flights with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Shanghai and Dongying, respectively, on Wednesday, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
The demonstration flights showed the sound flight performance of the Chinese commercial aircraft, COMAC said.
SAF is a liquid aviation fuel alternative to traditional jet fuel. Made from renewable materials, it can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 percent over the fuel's life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
A C919 passenger aircraft to land at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, May 26, 2024. /CFP
The application of SAF is an important measure for the global civil aviation industry to deal with global warming and reduce carbon emissions.
So far, a number of Chinese airlines have conducted commercial test flights using China-made SAF, with a dozen domestic enterprises and institutes working on the research, development and production of SAF.
Making full use of green resources, the SAF used in the demonstration flights is made from waste oil from meals, according to COMAC. The oil is recycled and processed in China's first bio-aviation fuel industrial plant built by Sinopec, before it is transformed into bio-jet fuel.
The SAF made by COMAC was granted airworthiness approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in February this year, the company added.