The future of aviation, a little closer: United Airlines makes the first commercial flight with 100% renewable fuel

Airplanes are the most polluting means of transport, although it could cease to be. United Airlines has operated the first flight with passengers in the aviation industry in which it has been used 100% sustainable fuel (SAF), which represents a great advance towards the decarbonisation of this sector.

The flight, which was carried out with a Boeing 737 MAX 8, went from Chicago to Washington DC with 100 passengers, among whom was the CEO of the airline, Scott Kirby. In one of the engines, the plane had almost 1,900 liters of SAF and, in the other, the same amount of conventional fuel, which was used for the jets.

This unprecedented flight is intended to lay the foundation for a more sustainable industry in the future. Currently, airlines can only use a maximum of 50% SAF on board. With this demonstration flight, United Airlines sought to prove that there is no operational difference between SAF and conventional fuel. According to the airline itself in a press release, the SAF is available for use and is compatible with existing aircraft fleets.

Following this demonstration, United Airlines has acquired more than 5,000 million liters of SAF from Alder Fuels, enough fuel to run fly sustainably 57 million passengers. In addition, it has the option to buy another 3.4 billion liters of sustainable fuel from Fulcrum BioEnergy, a company in which it has invested 30 million dollars.

United Airlines’ commitment to fighting climate change is not new. In 2016, it pioneered the continued use of SAF mixed with conventional fuel on its regular flights. After being the first in the industry in the United States to commit its carbon footprint by 50% by 2050, in 2019 it operated the “greenest commercial flight of its kind in the history of commercial aviation.” At the beginning of the year, the airline announced its partnership with Archer Aviation to develop an electric plane intended to transport United customers.

The sale of private jets, on the rise

However, not all of it is good news for the environment. Until the month of October, more than 495,000 private jet flights were made, 9% more than in the same period of 2019, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States. After being severely affected by the economic crisis of 2008, this segment of the sector has exploded.

The appeal of these types of flights seems logical in a pandemic context. Consumers seek to avoid risky situations, both at airports and later on the plane, and private flights provide that sense of security they seek. In addition, they offer greater availability.

Along with private flights, they have increased the sale of jets, ranging from 5 to 70 million dollars. In the third quarter of the year, orders increased more than 50% over the previous year, as published The Wall Street Journal. Buyers are usually wealthy first-time private jet owners or jet charter companies.

An increase that has also reached second-hand aircraft, which is facing to the tightest market in the last decade. Such is the scarcity of this type of transport that buyers get to buy multi-million dollar planes without thinking twice. According to JPMorgan, the median price of a used aircraft increased by about $ 1 million in October from its pre-pandemic level.