Airbus tests flights powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with a A321neoas part of the VOLCAN project
“The most popular single-aisle aircraft” of the European aircraft manufacturer took off from Toulouse on March 7, 2023, with its two reactors LEAP 1-A from CFM International powered by 100% SAF. It was followed by a “fighter plane”, a highly modified Dassault Falcon 20E jet from the German Aerospace Center DLR, which flew within 100 meters of the A321neo “using the test bed sensors to capture aircraft data. emissions for detailed analysis,” says Airbus.
The A321neo is the first single-aisle and the last Airbus aircraft, after the A350-900 and the A330MRTT, to test 100% sustainable aviation fuel on both engines. The data collected will provide a new opportunity to assess the potential advantages of unblended SAF over conventional aviation fuel.
Airbus partners for VOLCANO (Flight with Alternative Fuel New) are the French aerospace companies Safran and Dassault Aviation, as well as the aeronautical research laboratory ONERA and the French transport ministry. The project is co-financed by CORAC, the French Council for Civil Aeronautical Research.
Want to know why our #A321neo was being closely followed by a @DLR_en Falcon 20E? We have been collecting data to better understand the impact of 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (#SAF) on climate-impact emissions.
Find out more here: https://t.co/n5aubiB0Rp
© @DLR_en and Airbus pic.twitter.com/KTv78OZJBC— Airbus (@Airbus) March 9, 2023
Check out what our friends in the @DLR_en Falcon 20E ????️ sent us from our last flight test ????. Thanks guys! pic.twitter.com/5YBrwpR9eT
— Airbus (@Airbus) March 9, 2023
©Airbus