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Airbus and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have completed a commercial flight of an A330-200 using sustainable jet fuel.

The ten-hour flight from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba is the longest ever performed by an Airbus airliner, claims the company.

The flight is first of Europe’s initiative, Initiative Towards sustAinable Kerosene for Aviation (ITAKA), which aims to run 20 long-haul commercial flights using an Airbus aircraft.

The flight used a 20% blend of sustainable fuel made from used-cooking oil.

During the flight, Airbus accumulated data on engine fuel system, engine performance analysis, amongst other data to provide insight into the use of non-petroleum based fuels over traditional fuels.

"The flight used a 20% blend of sustainable fuel made of used-cooking oil."

Airbus environment affairs vice-president Andrea Debbané said: "As the leading aircraft manufacturer, our participation in the ITAKA initiative with KLM using an A330-200, the most fuel efficient aircraft in its category, is key to our role as a catalyst in the commercialisation of sustainable jet fuels."

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The European Union-funded ITAKA is a collaborative project aimed at accelerating the commercialisation of aviation biofuels in Europe.

The project tests sustainable aviation fuel in existing systems and flight operations in Europe with KLM.

Alongside ITAKA, Airbus is also engaged in other European funded projects, including the Single European Sky (SES) and SESAR for the modernisation of the European Air Traffic Management System and CleanSky.

Image: Airbus performs its longest flight using sustainable jet fuel with KLM. Photo: courtesy of Airbus.

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