Aviation

COMAC C919 and ARJ21 completes first SAF Flight

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Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has successfully completed a demonstration flight, where the C919 and ARJ21 both flew on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for the first time.

The two flights departed from Shanghai-Pudong International Airport and Dongying Airport in Shandong Province, demonstrating what COMAC calls ‘good flight performance on Sustainable Aviation Fuel’. Both demonstration flights lasted approximately 1 hour. Both aircrafts were fueled with a 60% No 3 Jet Fuel and a 40% bio-aviation Kerosene developed by Chinese oil company Sinopec.

COMAC's ARJ21 Aircraft being refuelled with SAF for its first flight on SAF

The flights were significant for COMAC, which has been vying to gain a foothold into the highly competitive commercial aircraft market, heavily dominated by the Boeing-Airbus duopoly. Furthermore, most aircrafts which are in service with airlines have been rated to be able to fly on a blend of SAF. These flights would therefore be the first step in the C919 and ARJ21 aircraft’s SAF certification, closing the technological gap between the C919 and the A320/B737 aircraft family.

On a domestic level, this also marks a step in China’s Carbon neutrality goals, with the integration of SAF playing a part in lowering the CO2 emissions, which is one of the goals. In a statement marking this historic moment, COMAC mentioned ‘COMAC has been developing its aircraft with sustainability in mind, so as to develop an environmentally friendly aircraft’.

What is Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

SAF is known as a ‘green fuel’, due to its ability to reduce up to 80% in carbon emissions, relative to the ‘standard’ jet fuels in use today. This is especially important as air travel is projected to increase significantly by approximately 4.3% over the next 20 years, so as to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation industry. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) can be produced from multiple sources, such as waste oil and fats, green and municipal waste, and non-food crops. SAF could also be produced synthetically by capturing carbon (in the form of gases) from the air.

Aviation

DOT Penalizes Lufthansa $4 Million for Stopping Jewish Passengers From Boarding

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed a $4 million penalty on Lufthansa for discriminating against Jewish passengers traveling from New York City to Budapest via Frankfurt in May 2022. The incident marked the largest civil rights fine ever levied by the DOT against an airline.

The case stems from an incident where Lufthansa denied 128 Jewish passengers — most of whom were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish attire — from boarding their connecting flight in Germany.

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The airline’s actions were based on the alleged misconduct of a few individuals during the first leg of the journey from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA). However, many of those passengers did not know each other or travel as a group. DOT investigators found that Lufthansa treated them as a single entity, barring them from their connecting flight to Budapest (BUD) for the actions of a few.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the department’s commitment to protecting passengers’ rights. “No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today’s action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers’ civil rights are violated,” he said. Buttigieg added that DOT’s increased enforcement efforts aim to ensure airlines treat all passengers with fairness and dignity.

This aircraft won’t need a runway

The investigation began after DOT received over 40 complaints from Jewish passengers affected by the incident. Despite some passengers failing to follow crew instructions on the first flight, lufthansa business lounge newark did not specifically identify any noncompliant individuals.

Instead, the airline placed a blanket hold on the tickets of over 100 passengers, preventing them from continuing their journey. lufthansa airways acknowledged that this approach could lead to excluding compliant passengers but deemed it impractical to address each case individually.