General Aviation Industry Announces Event to Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel

A coalition of international aviation organizations has announced an upcoming event to reaffirm the general aviation industry’s commitment to advancing the development and adoption of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel (SAJF).

The event – Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability, scheduled for Jan. 17, 2019, at the Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Southern California – will demonstrate that SAJF can become a mainstream, drop-in alternative for today’s general aviation aircraft. Jet fuel blended with SAJF will be available for use across the airport during the event, as operators fuel up and fly with the sustainable product – VNY’s four fixed-based operators (FBOs) have collaborated to participate in this initiative.

VNY ranks as one of the world’s busiest general aviation airports, serving a diverse mix of businesses, charter companies, government operators and others. In 2017, it recorded a total of 231,323 aircraft movements.

Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability follows the May 2018 release of the “Business Aviation Guide to the Use of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel (SAJF)” at the 2018 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2018), and a joint declaration by several leading general aviation organizations to promote the development of SAJF.

The release of the guide, the upcoming airport initiative and other efforts reflect the industry’s long-standing commitment to emissions reduction, including, among other aims, carbon neutrality from 2020 forward.

Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability is made possible by the efforts of the Van Nuys Airport Association (VNAA), European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), in coordination with Avfuel Corporation, Bombardier Business Aircraft, Phillips 66 and World Fuel Services.

“The production of sustainable alternative jet fuel represents a key element in the business aviation community’s long-term goal of continually reducing the industry’s already low emissions footprint,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We very much look forward to this event, which will help provide a proof of concept for delivering alternative jet fuels into the marketplace.”

“Following the announcement at EBACE2018, the EBAA is excited about the next stage of this sustainable alternative jet fuels project and the doors it opens for future projects. Seeing this as a valuable contribution to the overall basket of measures the industry has pledged in the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change, we fully endorse the steps our industry is taking towards decarbonization,” said EBAA Secretary-General Athar Husain Khan.

“GAMA is proud to continue raising awareness about Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel through this event at Van Nuys Airport in January,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “Sustainable jet fuel is an indispensable element of our industry’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. A key to this effort will be creating the demand for this fuel.”

“Our industry is ready to fly with SAJF today. SAJF is certified drop-in fuel, meaning ready-to-use, and it is safe. It does not impact aircraft performance either in the air or on the ground, and importantly, it does not require any modifications to aircraft. This means that our current products can contribute to a positive impact whenever they fly on SAJF,” said David Coleal, chair of GAMA’s Environment Committee and president, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “Our industry is committed to continuing this important work in making SAJF a regular part of flying business aircraft."

IBAC Director General Kurt Edwards stated, “The global business aviation industry has committed to mitigating and ultimately reducing its carbon emissions through a number of measures, including operational improvements and new technologies. Sustainable aviation fuel is a central technology that will propel us to meet our goals. IBAC commends the initiative at Van Nuys Airport as a solid first step with many more to come as business aviation, always on the cutting edge of technology, takes up such fuels.”

“NATA is excited about this opportunity to not only continue the conversation, but to also demonstrate our industry’s dedication to making sustainable alternative jet fuel available in commercial quantities,” said NATA President Gary Dempsey.

“The Van Nuys Airport Association has a proven track record of building airport business and community partnerships and increasing the awareness of the value of collaboration between airports, businesses and industry users. We are proud to host an event that highlights the industry’s collective commitment to taking another important step forward in the promotion and adoption of sustainable alternative jet fuels. With its four world-class FBOs and more than 231,000 annual operations, VNY is the ideal location to hold an event that represents a step toward greater sustainability,” said Curt Castagna, VNAA President.

“Avfuel Corporation is honored to work with fellow aviation organizations to prove our commitment to bringing sustainable alternative jet fuel to market,” said Keith Sawyer, Avfuel Corporation’s manager of alternate fuels. “As a leader in the global supply of aviation fuel and services, we have a social and corporate responsibility to make SAJF a reality for our industry and customers; Avfuel has been focused on doing so through a number of dedicated efforts and resources since it developed Avfuel Technology Initiatives Corporation in January 2012 with the mission to further industry advancements, including bio and renewable fuels on several fronts domestically and internationally. This event is an important step toward fulfilling this mission.”

“Phillips 66 Aviation is committed to the future of jet fuel, and we’re honored to work alongside other industry leaders to make Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel commercially available,” said Lindsey Grant, manager, general aviation, Phillips 66. “We’re devoted to supplying the industry with the products our customers want – now and in the future.”

“We have long held that sustainable alternative jet fuel is an important industry trend, which is why, in 2014, we were one of the first to invest in developing supply for our FBO and Flight Department customers," said Michael Szczechowski, senior vice president business aviation for World Fuel Services. “We applaud the industry organizations and Van Nuys Airport for their commitment to emissions reduction and raising the profile of sustainable fuels in business aviation. Aircraft operators will benefit from learning that it is available today as they pursue their initiatives for carbon neutrality.”

Follow business aviation’s commitment to alternative fuels on Twitter and Facebook at #Sustainability and #FlySustainable. Visit www.futureofsustainablefuel.com.