Kenya Airways (KQ) has become the first African airline to fly possibly the most sustainable commercial long-haul flight from Africa to Europe with the use of Italian energy major Eni’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The Boeing 787-800 (B787-8) Dreamliner, flew out of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol, and was the first Kenya Airways flight powered also by Eni Sustainable Mobility’s sustainable aviation fuel. For this flight, JetA1 fuel is mixed with Eni Biojet, produced in the Eni’s Livorno refinery by distilling the bio-components produced from the Gela biorefinery.
“We have piloted the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on our flight from Nairobi to Amsterdam as part of The Sustainable Flight Challenge by SkyTeam. This is the first pathway to testing the use of SAF within Africa and is among other impactful initiatives taken by the airline on this special flight,” KQ said on its LinkedIn page.
From 2025, all aircraft departing from European airports will be required to incorporate a percentage of sustainable aviation fuels in their fuel mix. As a result, KQ says it is positioning itself to take advantage of sustainable aviation fuel momentum within the sector to unlock competitive advantages across the region and the wider African aviation industry.
The inaugural Sustainable Flight Challenge launched in May 2022 brought together 16 airlines. This year the Challenge features 22 airlines looking to execute the most sustainable flight possible. This is the second time Kenya Airways has taken part in the Challenge in line with its purpose to contribute to the sustainable development of Africa.
“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 such as Kenya Airways in their path towards decarbonization” said Stefano Ballista, CEO Eni Sustainable Mobility.
Eni Sustainable Mobility and Kenya Airways are working on a broader agreement for long-term collaboration.