Cebu Pacific used green fuel to power its brand-new Airbus A330neo on its recent delivery flight from France to Manila, becoming the first low-cost carrier in the Asia-Pacific region to incorporate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into its operations.
The historic flight from Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, France, to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on May 20, 2022, was powered by a blend of SAF and conventional jet fuel.
The newly delivered aircraft – CEB’s third A330neo in its current re-fleeting program – is touted as the greenest aircraft in the industry given its fuel efficiency and carrying capacity. CEB’s A330neo is configured with 459 seats in a single-class layout and is fuel efficient, achieving 25% less fuel burn than previous-generation aircraft.
CEB also intends to use SAF for the delivery of two more A330neo aircraft later this year.
“This move to use SAF is a pillar of Cebu Pacific’s sustainable journey. SAF will be used for aircraft delivery and is a major component of our fleet modernization. This strengthens our drive to achieve our green goal of being carbon neutral by 2050,” said Alex Reyes, Chief Strategy Officer at Cebu Pacific.
SAF is a “drop-in” replacement for fossil fuels, produced from renewable resources. The use of SAF results in a reduction of up to 85% in carbon emissions over the fuel's lifecycle. The chemical and physical characteristics of SAF are almost identical to those of conventional jet fuel, and the two fuel types can be mixed safely to varying degrees. SAF does not require any adaptations to the aircraft or its engines, and does not have any negative impact on performance or maintenance.
The airline’s sustainability goal is aligned with the global aviation industry’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
To respond to this challenge, CEB invested in appropriate technologies and is practicing fuel-saving and emission reduction strategies.
The airline’s three major pillars on its sustainable journey are fleet modernization, which aims, among others, to have an all-neo fleet by 2027; resource optimization, which includes pushing for fuel-efficiency best practices; and utilizing SAF by launching green routes by 2025 and using SAF for its entire network by 2030.
For more information on Cebu Pacific, visit cebupacificair.com
