In the wake of the multi-organizational release of the Business Aviation Guide to the Use of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel at EBACE in May, the industry has announced the next step in the effort to educate general aviation about the fuel this week at NBAA 2018. As part of this, Los Angeles-area Van Nuys Airport (VNY) is hosting an event—"Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability"—on January 17 to demonstrate that sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) can become a mainstream, drop-in alternative for today’s turbine-powered private aircraft.
On that day, Jet A, blended with SAJF will be available for use by operators from all four of the airport’s FBOs, which have collaborated in this effort. While SAJF has been used by commercial aviation in limited instances, this marks the first time the “green” fuel will be offered retail to general aviation.
“Our industry is ready to fly with SAJF today,” said David Coleal, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, and chair of GAMA’s environment committee, adding that the fuel is a certified alternative to regular Jet A. “It does not impact aircraft performance either in the air or on the ground, and importantly, it does not require any modifications to aircraft.”
The event is made possible by a consortium of organizations including the Van Nuys Airport Association, EBAA, GAMA, IBAC, NATA, and NBAA in coordination with Avfuel, Bombardier, Phillips 66, and World Fuel Services. One of the world’s busiest general aviation airports and a hub for business aviation, VNY recorded a record 231,323 movements in 2017.
“The global business aviation industry has committed to mitigating and ultimately reducing its carbon emissions through a number of measures, including operational improvements and new technologies,” explained IBAC director general Kurt Edwards. “Sustainable aviation fuel is a central technology that will propel us to meet our goals. IBAC comments the initiative at Van Nuys Airport as a solid first step with many more to come as business aviation, always on the cutting edge of technology, takes up such fuels.”