Airbus and Air France Completed an Inaugural SAF A220 Ferry Flight Yesterday

(Mirabel, Canada) An Air France (EPA: AIRF) Airbus (EPA: AIR) A220 aircraft completed a delivery flight from Airbus’ site in Mirabel to Paris powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) yesterday (Aug. 25), marking the first time that Airbus in Canada directly issued official sustainability credentials for SAF to a customer for the first time.

Photo of yesterday’s (Aug. 25) Air France Airbus A220 flight from Mirabel to Paris, which utilized 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), courtesy of Airbus.

Per Airbus’s press relase, the flight nonot only confirms Airbus’ capability to provide Proofs of Sustainability (PoS) directly to customers and operators but also supports the industry’s commitment to decarbonisation.

“With PoS credits for a 50% SAF blend applied through the mass balance process, this ferry flight conducted by Air France’s 46th A220-300 named ‘VAISON-LA-ROMAINE,’ represented more than 25 tonnes reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil fuels,” reads yesterday’s press release.

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is currently capable of operating with up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with up to 100% SAF by 2030, according to the company.

According to the PoS under CORSIA Sustainability Certification Scheme approved by ICAO, the SAF received at Airbus in Mirabel is certified for 85% reduction in GHG emissions on its lifecycle compared to fossil fuel, per Airbus.

“Fleet renewal and the use of sustainable aviation fuel are the two main levers of the decarbonization of aviation,” said Blaise Brigaud, SVP Group Sustainability, Air France-KLM. “Combining the two is only logical and Air France-KLM is proud to participate in this Airbus milestone with the delivery flight of one of our A220s. Air France-KLM is among the world’s largest buyers of SAF. Directly receiving SAF at delivery is a game-changer, increasing transparency and driving industry progress.”

Benoît Schultz, CEO of Airbus Canada, said: "In 2025 alone, we project cutting CO2 emissions by approximately 400 metric tonnes at our Mirabel site thanks to the 170,000 litres of pure SAF we will integrate to our activities. We’re pushing our ambition further with this ferry flight with PoS credits for 50% SAF – a significant step that comes just ahead of Air France’s 50th A220 delivery later this year. On a global scale, 78% of Airbus aircraft were delivered with SAF blend for the first half of the year, underscoring the importance our customers place on decarbonisation."

Per Airbus, SAF management in Mirabel is conducted using mass balance, a chain of custody model in which a company accounts for volumes of certified products by looking at the volumes entering the operation and the equivalent volume of products leaving the operations as a measurement, minus any processing losses. As such, the SAF is blended with conventional aviation fuel (Jet A-1), in keeping with established industry standards and auditable bookkeeping. 

Air France’s first A220-300s, part of a total firm order of 60 aircraft, have been flying on its medium-haul network since October 2021; the A220 delivers up to 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, according to Airbus.