SIA goes green on flights to the US
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Singapore Airlines has started operating a series of “green” flights to the US, in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions.
The national carrier has joined forces with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to develop a series of measures aimed at optimising its operations and improving fuel-efficiency on the Singapore-San Francisco route.
A total of 12 green flights will operate over a three-month period, using SIA’s latest Airbus A350-900 aircraft. This twin-aisle aircraft, which is already more fuel-efficient than its predecessors, will be powered by a mix of conventional jet fuel and a biofuel made from used cooking oil.
This will be combined with a series of advanced air traffic control procedures, which optimise flight routes to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions. SIA told Travel Daily that, with these measures in place, it will be able to reduce its CO2 emissions by approximately 71%.
The first of the 12 flights, SQ31, departed San Francisco on 1 May and arrived in Singapore at 1910 the following day, with 206 passengers onboard.
“Singapore Airlines’ fleet is already among the most modern and fuel-efficient in the world. We now want to push ourselves further and are embarking on this initiative to help promote the use of sustainable biofuel in an operationally and commercially-viable manner,” said SIA’s CEO, Goh Choon Phong. “This initiative is especially memorable as our first biofuel flight departed from San Francisco on 1 May, when Singapore Airlines celebrated its 70th anniversary.”
SIA is a member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) and has operated several biofuel flights over the years, testing a range of different sustainable fuel sources.
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