Civic, Aviation Leaders Showcase Viability of Alternative Jet Fuels in Live Demo

(National Business Aviation Association) Today (January 17, 2019), a coalition of international business aviation organizations joined Los Angeles-area civic leaders to mark a milestone in the development and adoption of sustainable alternative jet fuels (SAJF) through Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability.

“Business aviation has long led the way in promoting advances aimed at reducing the industry’s environmental footprint,” said National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are proud to celebrate this major industry milestone, and look forward to launching SAJF flights in locations around the world.”

“We are excited to see our industry demonstrating the viability of sustainable alternative jet fuel at general aviation airports for business aviation users,” said General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Pete Bunce. “This event will help raise awareness of the safety and accessibility of the fuel, and demonstrate our industry’s commitment to building the necessary demand for SAJF that will be integral to achieving industry climate emissions goals.”

“Today’s ground-breaking event demonstrates that National Air Transportation Association (NATA) members across the supply chain – from fuel suppliers and distributors to aircraft owners and operators – are committed to a future of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel,” stated NATA President Gary Dempsey. “Van Nuys Airport was the perfect backdrop for today’s activities, and we appreciate the support of the Van Nuys Airport Association, Los Angeles World Airports and the other coalition members in making ‘Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability’ a reality. We look forward to continuing to spread the message of the impact and benefits of SAJF throughout the industry and across the world.”

The day-long series of events included demonstration flights conducted by business aircraft, established Van Nuys Airport as the first general aviation airport in the U.S. to offer SAJF on a trial basis, and served as a model for offering the fuels at other airports.

“As one of the world’s busiest general aviation airports – with 231,000 annual operations supporting diverse private, business and government aviation needs – Van Nuys Airport is committed to leading the way in environmental sustainability,” said Van Nuys Airport Association (VNAA) President Curt Castagna. “The airport’s four fixed-base operators participating in this initiative exemplify the Van Nuys Airport Association’s long history of building collaborative partnerships among industry, business and community stakeholders to achieve meaningful progress and change. We are honored to play a key role in advancing the use of sustainable alternative fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft at airports across the nation.”

1. SAJF are safe and do not impact aircraft performance.
2. SAJF offer great impact and benefits to the airport and the community, including reduced particulate matter.
3. SAJF reflect the commitment by business aviation to aircraft carbon reduction.

“Avfuel is proud to support the SAJF initiative with its first full truckload of sustainable alternative jet fuel delivered to a business aviation airport,” said Keith Sawyer, Avfuel’s manager of alternative fuels. “We are committed to helping the industry achieve its goals of carbon neutrality and are pleased with this first step, which proves that SAJF can become a viable option for the industry at large. We are working ardently to secure further sources of the product to champion one of the largest hurdles yet to the initiative, availability. We’re also working with operators who can help us support this initiative by making commitments for the SAJF product—commitments that will drive demand and, hopefully, the supply of the fuel at the production level.” READ MORE