Bordeaux Airport to offer permanent supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Bordeaux Airport has become France’s first commercial airport with over a million passengers to permanently offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

On the first day that such fuel was available, three flights leaving from Bordeaux were refuelled with 30% SAF by TotalEnergies: Lufthansa flight LH1085 to Frankfurt, Air France flight AF7627 to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and a medical assistance flight operated by Airlec, a business aviation airline based in Bordeaux. This new service is the fruit of a multi-year partnership between Bordeaux Airport, TotalEnergies and its airline and business aviation partners. These flights are a concrete step towards the shared aim to decarbonise our industry.

The SAF offered in Bordeaux is produced at French TotalEnergies sites using cooking oil mixed with traditional fuel (JET-A1) in Gironde to produce a 30:70 blend. This reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90% across the SAF’s entire life cycle compared to the fossil fuel equivalent. It has similar technical properties to JET-A1 and does not require any changes to aircraft, logistical infrastructure or refuelling operations.

Using biofuel for refuelling in Bordeaux is a significant development in the airport’s efforts to decarbonise air transport, while supporting innovation in the French industry and contributing to the economic dynamism of the Bordeaux metropolitan area.

French legislation mandates that airlines must use at least 1% sustainable fuel by 2022, going up to 2% in 2025, 5% in 2030 and 50% by 2050.

Find out more here.