Look up, a cooking oil fueled A380 takes off this Tuesday

If you live between Toulouse and Nice, this Tuesday, perhaps you will come across an Airbus A380 while raising your eyes to the sky. The largest plane in the world, which left the production lines in May 2020, will draw a trajectory from west to east during a completely atypical flight.

Airbus, which is working on its future, uses the very first A380 produced (code name MSN 1) to carry out tests of all kinds. Currently, he is following a mission in partnership with TotalEnergies to replace kerosene with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). On board the prototype on Tuesday, a fuel composed of used cooking oil will act as an alternative.

Contrary to what many media write, the prototype of Airbus devotes only one of its four reactors to the test. The other three will operate conventionally with kerosene. But this flight is only the second on the A380 after another carried out on March 25, during which the renewable fuel did not participate in take-off or landing.

Previously, other flights took place, but Airbus had not chosen the A380 to perform them. In 2021, tests took place on the A319 neo, then on the A350. For each, the European company relied on partners such as engine manufacturers, ministries or even university researchers.

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Airbus prepares for 2030

“Together we have clearly demonstrated that an aircraft as large as the A380 can operate successfully on unmixed SAF”rejoiced François Pfindel, A380 MAP Manager, following the first successful test.

To achieve the first flight, TotalEnergies produced 27 tonnes of its SAP near Le Havre in Normandy. This amount, unmixed with kerosene, enabled the aircraft to fly for three hours. It is this same fuel that will be used today. According to the teams in charge of the project at Airbus, it consists of esters and hydrotreated fatty acids (HEFA) “free of aromatics and sulphur”.

Airbus’ roadmap will lead to obtaining, by 2030, 100% SAF certification for all aircraft leaving the factory. In other words, the goal is for all airliner models at Airbus to be able to run on renewable fuel within 8 years. The prototype tests that are currently taking place are essential to achieving the objective.

“In doing so, we will generate a wealth of data that will help us complement the research programs currently underway”, said François Pfindel. Airbus did not specify the take-off time of its A380.