Paris-Saclay-Versailles Airport (LFPN) is the latest location in Europe to begin receiving continual supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Supplied by TotalEnergies, the HEFA-produced SAF is provided in a 35% SAF blend that will provide a 30% life cycle carbon emissions savings over conventional fossil-based jet fuel.
Among those applauding the news is aircraft manufacturer Daher. “The provision of [SAF] at Paris-Saclay-Versailles Airport, where we have one of our main maintenance bases in France, is an important step for the promotion of these fuels to our customers,” said Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of Daher's aircraft division. “Since 2022 we have been using the mixture of jet-A1 and SAF on our TBM and Kodiak aircraft for flight operations at our French industrial site in Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées or at airports where it is available.” He added that the airframer is strongly committed to the transition towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
LFPN is owned by Groupe ADP, which views it as an innovation and training laboratory for its decarbonization plans. “After the installation of charging stations to support the growth of electric aviation in 2023, this new initiative in favor of decarbonization of general aviation is aimed more particularly at travel airplanes and helicopters present on the platform,” said Sébastien Couturier, director of ADP’s general aviation airports. “[Our SAF offering] will generate increasing demand that will gradually allow us to decarbonize all operations.”