Kenya Airways (KQ), the national airline of Kenya, has become the first African airline to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by Eni for a long-haul flight.
Eni noted that the Boeing 787-800 (B787-8) Dreamliner, which took off from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Amsterdam Schipol, is the first KQ flight powered by Eni Sustainable Mobility’s SAF. For this flight, the JetA1 fuel is mixed with Eni Biojet, produced at the Eni refinery in Livorno through the distillation of biocomponents produced at the Gela biorefinery.
“Working with Eni Sustainable Mobility to pilot the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) puts us on the first path to test the use of sustainable aviation fuel in Africa. The data and insights generated from the flight pilot will be valuable in informing policy decisions, regulatory frameworks and industry best practices related to SAF. This will be an important milestone for Kenya Airways and the wider African aviation industry,” says Allan Kilavuka, managing director of Kenya Airways.
Eni Biojet contains 100 percent biogenic raw materials and is suitable for use with up to 50 percent JetA1 fuel. For this flight, Kenya Airways mixed with conventional fuel in Nairobi, Eni said in its statement.
KQ is working together with Eni to use SAF for its flights outside the country. The SAF-powered Nairobi-Amsterdam flight enables KQ to gain a competitive edge on the continent, the statement said.
“The supply of Eni Biojet to Nairobi Airport is an important step for Eni Sustainable Mobility because it confirms that the company can support airlines like Kenya Airways on their way to decarbonisation”, says Stefano Ballista, CEO of Eni Sustainable Mobility.
From 2025, all aircraft departing from European airports will have to incorporate a proportion of SAF. As a result, KQ is positioning itself to take advantage of SAF’s momentum in line with the direction indicated by the European Union with the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation which sets targets for blending traditional fuels with larger amounts of more sustainable fuels, he notes the statement
Eni said it already markets an aviation fuel containing 20 percent biogenic component, JetA1 + Eni Biojet. The company has also signed agreements with national and international airlines, as well as with airports and logistics operators in order to supply it.
Eni launched the production of alternative SAFs at the end of 2021. The company plans to increase its biorefining capacity from 1.1 million tons/year in a four-year period to 5/6 million tons /year by 2050. The goal is to reach a production capacity of at least 500,000 tons/year of biojet by 2030.
From 2024, the biorefineries in Venice and Gela will start the production of Eni Biojet from renewable raw materials. It is expected to exceed 200,000 tons annually. This objective requires a significant supply of raw materials, for which Eni is also active in the development of a supply chain in Kenya to collect UCO (Used Cooking Oil) working with companies and operators in the food sector, contributing to the management of food waste as part of a circular economy, as well as a network of agricultural centers in Kenya and other African countries to produce vegetable oils from marginal land that does not compete with the food chain.
Eni also noted that Eni Sustainable Mobility and Kenya Airways are working on a broader agreement for long-term collaboration.
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