GE Aerospace has reached what it calls a ‘new milestone for a more sustainable future of flight’ with the completion of testing on its tenth engine model using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The testing programme, ongoing since 2016, has included a mix of component, engine and aircraft-level tests. “We’re proud of doing the hard work to better understand the impact of different emissions on the environment and using science to guide the technology we are developing to invent the future of flight,” commented Mohamed Ali, vice president of engineering for GE Aerospace.
The testing of engine component and sub-components (such as those performed in relation to the F414, GE9X, LEAP-1A , Passport, GEnx, HF120 and CFM56 powerplants) is necessary to help quality new types of SAF, created using increasingly diverse production pathways. Additionally, aircraft-level tests performed to date include the first 100% SAF 2018 Boeing ecoDemonstrator flight, the first passenger experimental flight conducted in 2021, and this year’s Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer.
GE Aerospace and its joint ventures power three out of every four commercial flights globally. It has been involved in assessing and qualifying SAF since 2006 and continues to work closely with producers, regulators and operators to help ensure that SAF can be widely adopted for use by the aviation industry.