Boeing is setting a target that its commercial airplanes should be capable and certified to fly on 100% sustainable aviation fuels by 2030. Boeing says it has previously conducted successful test flights replacing petroleum jet fuel with 100% sustainable fuels to address the urgent challenge of climate change.
One of Boeing's more sizable manufacturing customers is Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, says according to the Air Transport Action Group, the U.S. Department of Energy, and several other scientific studies, sustainable aviation fuels reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% during the fuel's life cycle, with the potential to reach 100% in the future. Today, sustainable aviation fuels are mixed directly with conventional jet fuel up to a 50/50 blend — the maximum allowed under current fuel specifications. Boeing says in order to meet aviation's commitment for reducing carbon emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2050, airplanes need the capability to fly on 100% sustainable aviation fuels well before 2050.
Boeing says it will determine what changes are required for its current and future commercial airplanes to fly on 100% sustainable fuels, and to work with regulatory authorities and those in the industry to raise the blending limit for expanded use.
Boeing conducted biofuel test flights starting in 2008, gaining approval for sustainable fuels in 2011. In 2018, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator flight-test program made the world's first commercial airplane flight using 100% sustainable fuels with a 777 Freighter, in collaboration with FedEx Express.
Sustainable aviation fuels can be made from a wide variety of feedstocks, including non-edible plants, agricultural and forestry waste, non-recyclable household waste, industrial plant off-gassing, and other sources. Sustainability of the fuels is assured through strong, credible sustainability certifications through third-party organizations such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials.