The South African Airways Group (SAA) has operated Africa’s first sustainable flights using biofuels.
SAA and Mango services between Johannesburg and Cape Town used home-grown feedstock from the Limpopo region of South Africa as part of Project Solaris – a biofuels project named after the energy tobacco plant used.
The nicotine-free, hybridised tobacco plant lends itself to the production of biofuel as it produces small leaves and flowers that are crushed to extract a vegetable crude oil.
SAA said the solaris plant is ideally suited for this purpose as the remaining seedcake is used as a high protein animal feed supplement that also contributes to food security.
“The project has brought economic and rural development to the Limpopo province in keeping with SAA’s mandate to support the South African National Developmental Plan. It establishes a new regional bio jet fuel supply chain of which we can rightfully be proud,” said Musa Zwane, SAA’s acting CEO.
The project is supported by the WWF-South Africa through a research grant from the Boeing Company that aims to investigate the viability and impact of a large scale biofuel programme on South Africa and on the environment considering all relevant factors such as water use and food security.
James Reeler of the Policy and Futures Unit with WWF South Africa said: “We commend SAA for taking this important first step to engaging with the burning issue of aviation emissions.
“Biofuels could feasibly reduce up to 9 per cent of aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, as long as the growth of the industry addresses the potential sustainability issues associated with biofuel production.
“By using RSB-certified feedstock, SAA has demonstrated its concern with not only reducing its carbon footprint, but also ensuring that the biofuel supply chain reduces other social and environmental risks,” said Reeler.
The airlines operated the flights using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
British Airways
Earlier this year, British Airways scrapped its flagship environmental project that was set to turn carbon-rich household waste into biofuel for aircraft.
The airline had partnered with technology firm Solena Fuels Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy three months ago, to build the plant on a disused industrial site in Essex for its ‘Green Sky London’ project – due to open in 2017.
BA said it was “very disappointed” that despite its commitment to the project, Solena was “unable to progress it through to construction”.