Cebu Pacific (CEB) used green fuel to power its brand new Airbus A33NEO on its delivery flight from Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila, thus becoming the first low-cost carrier in Asia to incorporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) into its operations.
The historic flight, with the Airbus330neo aircraft, took off from Toulouse, France, and was powered by a mixture of SAF and conventional fuel, before arriving May 20 at the NAIA.
The new aircraft is CEB’s third A330neo and is the greenest aircraft in the industry given its fuel efficiency and load capacity. CEB’s A330neo is configured with 459 seats in a single-class layout and is fuel efficient, consuming 25% less fuel than previous generation aircraft.
CEB intends to use SAF for the delivery of two more A33neos later this year.
“This decision to use SAF is a pillar of Cebu Pacific’s sustainable journey. SAF will be used for the delivery of the aircraft and is a major part of the modernization of our fleet. This reinforces our commitment to achieving 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 can reduce carbon emissions by up to 85% over the life cycle of the SAF. The chemical and physical characteristics of SAF are nearly identical to those of conventional jet fuel and these can be safely mixed with regular jet fuel to varying degrees. SAF requires no adaptation of the aircraft or engines and has no negative impact on performance or maintenance.
The airline’s sustainability goal is aligned with global aviation’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
To meet this challenge, CEB has invested in appropriate technologies and practical strategies to save fuel and reduce emissions.
The airline’s three main pillars in its sustainable journey are fleet modernization which aims, among other things, to have an all-Neo fleet by 2027; resource optimization, which includes the promotion of best practices in energy efficiency; and using SAF by launching green routes by 2025 and using SAF for its entire network by 2030.
