Daher has transitioned its flight operations at its Tarbes headquarters in southwestern France to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The OEM is known for its line of TBM turboprop singles, and its flight activities at Tarbes include production, testing, training, maintenance, and delivery. To power them, it now uses a blend of 30 percent SAF produced by Neste from renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its “neat” unblended form, SAF can provide lifecycle carbon emissions savings of up to 80 percent.
Nicolas Chabbert, the company’s senior v-p of its aircraft division, noted that while it looks to set an example in the transition to low-carbon emission aviation, the availability of SAF still presents a challenge. “We took the initiative of going a step further by joining with the Spanish airline Volotea—a carrier that connects small and mid-sized cities in Europe and flies from Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport as part of its route network—to convince World Fuel Services to supply SAF on the platform,” he explained, “We expect our example will bring other operators to use renewable energy on airplanes.”
According to James Hardacre, World Fuel’s v-p of business aviation sales for Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Daher’s adoption of SAF for its needs at Tarbes means “all users at this facility can now benefit from our supply of Neste-blended jet fuel.”