Airbus Helicopters is bringing the industry together to drive the deployment of biofuels, through the creation of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) user group dedicated to the rotary-wing community. As a pioneer in the civil turbine rotorcraft market, the company is calling all major stakeholders to join the initiative, which aims at reducing aviation’s impact on citizens and the environment.

With the SAF user group, Airbus Helicopters plans to tackle the remaining challenges around biofuels and proactively support the industry’s CO₂ reduction commitment, thanks to constant cooperation with partners from all areas of the aviation sector. Through this inclusive approach, the SAF user group aspires to collectively work on ways to accelerate the use of blended SAF kerosene and to pave the way toward 100% SAF flights for future fleets.

“We welcome all helicopter operators, engine manufacturers, fuel system suppliers, energy companies, fuel providers, handling companies, and all other stakeholders in the industry willing to pioneer sustainable aerospace with us,” said Stefan Thomé, executive vice president, engineering and chief technical officer, Airbus Helicopters.

SAF reduces CO₂ emissions thanks to the use of residual and waste material such as used vegetable oils and fats. As a result, the fuel has no negative impact on agricultural food production. Biofuels are used under the same performance and safety conditions as conventional fuels, which has made them well-established levers for CO₂ reduction in the aviation industry.

Airbus is committed to leading the decarbonization of the aerospace sector, for our aircraft, satellites and launch vehicles, and is actively engaged in achieving sustainable air travel for future generations. The company has pledged to support an industry-wide decarbonization movement that includes carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and a 50% reduction in CO₂ emissions. To achieve these objectives, Airbus’s decarbonization strategy focuses on improving fuel burn in current-generation aircraft, accelerating the development of new fuels and technologies (i.e., electrification, SAF, etc.), optimizing day-to-day aircraft operations, and supporting market-based measures.   

All Airbus-made helicopters are currently certified to run with a blend of as much as 50% SAF in the kerosene. All industry players willing to join the SAF user group initiative can write to contact.ahsafusergroup.ah@airbus.com by Jun. 20, 2021.

This press release was prepared and distributed by Airbus Helicopters.