Giant Airbus A380 flying on cooking oil

The Airbus A380 test took off in France and flew for 3 hours, using completely sustainable fuel made from cooking oil and waste fat.

The giant Airbus A380 completed a special 3-hour test flight, departing from Blagnac airport in Toulouse (France) on March 25. The flight uses Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mainly made from used cooking oil and waste grease.

Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane.

Airbus then made a second A380 flight with the same cooking oil, flying from Toulouse to Nice on March 29. The second flight was to monitor the use of the SAF during take-off and landing.

The fuel that the A380 uses is provided by TotalEnergies, a company based in the Normandy region of France. Airbus has been testing SAF-powered flights since last year, with the A350 testing in March 2021 and the A319 flying on cooking oil in October. The airline hopes to be licensed to fly SAF by the end of the decade. this century. Currently, Airbus aircraft can operate with 50% SAF, mixed with conventional kerosene oil.

"Increasing use of SAF is a key measure to achieving the aviation industry's net-zero carbon emissions ambitions by 2050," said Airbus. The airline claims that using SAF for aircraft can help reduce carbon emissions by 53%-71%. Airbus plans to bring to market the world's first zero-emissions aircraft by 2035.

SAF is said to be carbon neutral (carbon released equals absorbed). Some airlines already use this fuel in limited quantities. However, the high price makes widespread use unlikely anytime soon.

As the world's largest passenger jet, the A380's reputation has declined in recent years as some airlines have discontinued it, in part because they are less fuel efficient than mid-range jets. far from modern. Airbus delivered the last A380 to Emirates airline by the end of 2021.

On February 22, Airbus announced that it would use this giant aircraft to test hydrogen engines - an innovation aimed at reducing the environmental impact of flying.