TAP Air Portugal Launched it First SAF Flight

The first flight utilizing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) was conducted by TAP Air Portugal, launching a collaboration between the airline, the fuel supplier, and ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.

An Airbus A321neo was used for the July 22 departure from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada.

The airline claimed that its collaboration with the airport and the energy firm Galp in Lisbon “heralds the beginning of a new aviation era in Portugal” and is in keeping with the European Union’s mandate for the inclusion of SAF in aviation.

The cooperation, according to TAP Air Chief Executive Christine Ourmières-Widener, is an “essential step forward” in the airline’s sustainability strategy.

“Since 2018, TAP has been renewing its fleet, integrating more energy-efficient aircraft,” she said. “Neo aircrafts have high efficiency engines and improved aerodynamics that reduce fuel consumption and CO emissions by 20%.

“Aviation faces a considerable challenge that can only be overcome by taking steps such as this, which promotes the production of sustainable fuels in sufficient quantities at competitive prices so we can continue moving forward in the green transition of the aviation sector.

“This can only happen if we work together and that is why it is so important that the step is being taken by TAP, Gla and ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.

“For all three companies, developing SAF is a priority for moving towards an increasingly low carbon industry, knowing that achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a range of solutions – including electrification, hydrogen solutions and SAF – working in combination.”