LATAM completes first sustainable fuel flight

Medellin, Colombia - April 19, 2022: LATAM Cargo Boeing 767-300F airplane at Medellin Rionegro airport (MDE) in Colombia.

LATAM airlines has completed its first international flight with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), the latest step forward in the airlines path toward a sustainable future.

The flight was operated by LATAM Cargo Chile between the Zaragoza airport and North America, in line with the group’s commitment to being carbon neutral by 2050.

SAF is a biofuel made from alternative biomass sources such as waste, fats, and oils, which are co-processed with fossil feedstock fuel to produce synthetic, low-CO2 fuel.

With this milestone, LATAM has become the first airline group to procure its SAF from Air bp at the Zaragoza Airport, an achievement made possible thanks to the collaborative efforts between LATAM and Air bp and other contributing partners including AENA and Exolum.

SAF fuelling the LATAM Cargo jet. (Supplied)

“This flight represents one of LATAM Airlines’ most visible advances in its agenda to use SAF,” CEO, LATAM Cargo, Andrés Bianchi, said.

“At LATAM we are committed to contributing to the protection of our environment, and the introduction of this type of fuel is a key step in that direction.

“We are very pleased about this achievement since using SAF requires the involvement and cooperation of multiple actors, and the success of this operation proves that such collaborations are possible.

“This was a first step, and we will continue to explore alternatives to make significant contributions to the environment and the communities where we operate.”

The SAF used for this flight was internationally certified according to the procedures established by the International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC EU) to ensure its sustainability.

A maximum of 5% of sustainable feedstock is currently permitted in the co-processing of this fuel, which reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 80% during its life cycle compared to conventional aviation fuel.

In this case, 30,000 litres of co-processed SAF was provided by Air bp, a leading supplier of aviation fuel and was made from cooking oil were used, combined with traditional jet fuel

“This announcement is another major milestone in Air bp’s efforts to increase SAF availability,” global head of sustainability, Air bp, Andreea Moyes, said.

It marks a decisive step in replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources at existing refineries.

“Co-processing plays a key role in increasing SAF production in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.”

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Air bp Andreea Moyes Andrés Bianchi latam LATAM Cargo