With the aim of protecting the natural wealth of Turkey and the 128 countries of the flight network for future generations, Turkish Airlines has introduced the use of sustainable aviation fuel on its flights.
The sustainably sourced fuel was used for the first time on flight TK1823 from Istanbul airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on February 2nd. For now, the fuel will be used on this route once a week, but there are already plans to use it on different routes on a larger scale.
Aware of the effects caused by the aviation sector on climate change and developing projects to reduce this effect, the airline has taken an important step to reduce the carbon footprint of its flights with the use of sustainable fuel. This new fuel has 87% less greenhouse gas emissions when compared to fossil fuels.
On the first flight with sustainable fuel, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat stated: “We are the airline that flies to more countries than any other in the world. This also means that we are the airline that presents its passengers with the richest biodiversity. We conduct our work to achieve sustainability with this mindset and responsibility. Our first flight using sustainable resources is part of that vision. We believe that future generations will continue to be able to discover the world and its preserved beauty with Turkish Airlines. Our efforts will remain focused on protecting our world.”
The fueling process is also facilitated by Turkish Airlines subsidiary Turkish Fuel Services (TFS). Originating from Neste, the eco-friendly product is stored at the TFS fuel farm and loaded onto aircraft after being blended with jet fuel.
Turkish Airlines' next objective goes beyond the use of sustainable fuel in its flights. The global airline is leading the “Microalgae Based Sustainable BioJet Fuel Project (MICRO-JET)”, a project to produce sustainable fuel from microalgae in partnership with the University of Bogaziçi and with support from TUBITAK. When the project is completed, the first integrated carbon negative biorefinery in Turkey and Europe will start its service.
This fuel, produced from sustainable raw materials, without harmful heavy metals and with high energy production, helps to decrease harmful particles from SOx and NOx emissions due to clean burning.
For more information about Turkish Airlines, visit I www.turkishairlines.co .