Audio By Carbonatix
It's huge, it's wide, and it's potentially a lot more sustainable.
The Airbus A380, a behemoth of the skies, has completed a trial flight powered on cooking oil.
The test airplane completed a three-hour flight from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse -- Airbus' French headquarters -- on 25 March.
It was powered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF -- predominantly made of used cooking oil and waste fats -- and operating on a single Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine.
Airbus then followed up with a second A380 flight, using the same cooking oil fuel, on March 29, flying from Toulouse to Nice.
The second flight was to monitor SAF use during take-off and landing. The fuel used was supplied by TotalEnergies, a company based in France's Normandy region.
It was made from Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), which is free of both aromatics and sulfur.
Airbus has been testing the use of SAF-powered flights for the last year, with an A350 being tested in March 2021, and an A319neo single-aisle aircraft flying on cooking oil in October.
The company hopes to get its aircraft certified to fly on SAF by the end of the decade. Currently, Airbus aircraft can be powered by up to 50% SAF, blended with traditional kerosene.
Latest Stories
-
The net economic effect of recent policy changes in Ghana (2024–2026)
44 minutes -
NPP Election Committee confers with Akufo-Addo as road to presidential primaries intensifies
2 hours -
Parkinson’s targeted for ‘Mahama Cares’ integration – Deputy Minister of Health
2 hours -
Dr Apaak meets stakeholders to resolve UG fee hike dispute
2 hours -
Ofori-Atta has applied to become a US permanent resident through his son – Martin Kpebu claims
3 hours -
Trump says US needs to ‘own’ Greenland to prevent Russia and China from taking it
3 hours -
Trump seeks $100bn for Venezuela oil, but Exxon boss says country ‘uninvestable’
4 hours -
Trump warns of more Nigeria strikes if Christians ‘continue to be killed’
5 hours -
AFCON 2025: Who are the top scorers?
5 hours -
AFCON 2025: Morocco roar past Cameroon to reach semis; Ndiaye strike sends Senegal into last four
5 hours -
Dumelo targets total road coverage for Ayawaso West Wuogon by 2028
6 hours -
Lambussie MP honours health workers, donates medical equipment
6 hours -
Franklin Cudjoe requests Parkinson’s inclusion in ‘Mahama Cares’ and NHIS amid shortage of specialists
7 hours -
NADMO launches nationwide market safety overhaul following Kasoa inferno
7 hours -
Ambassador Victor Smith holds talks with Chinese Ambassador on deepening bilateral cooperation
7 hours
