Turboprop maker ATR and Swedish Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) are jointly pushing the certification of 100-percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), they have announced on September 16. While this is a clearly defined target, the French-Italian airframer has yet to share its vision on how sustainable aviation really looks like in the coming decades. What is ATR's long-term sustainable strategy? The joint effort sees BRA operate 100-percent SAF on one of the two Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines during a demonstration flight in early 2022. The other engine will have a blend of 50 percent SAF and 50 percent kerosene, which by current regulations is the maximum blend permitted. Other airframers Boeing and Airbus have been pushing for pure SAFs as well, which should become available in the mid-2020s. ATR and Braathens say that 100-percent SAF produced by Finland’s Neste will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 82 percent over standard jet fuel on a typical BRA route in Scandinavia. In May 2019, the so-called ‘Perfect Flight’ between Halmstad and Stockholm Bromma confirmed that emissions on the ATR 72-600 could potentially be reduced by 80 percent. Fuel consumption per passenger was reduced from 12.8 kilograms to 5.6 kilograms or 46 percent thanks to a mix of SAF produced by Air BP and Neste as well as optimized route navigation. In 2017, a BRA ATR flew between Bromma and Ulmea on a blend of 45 percent SAF. The demonstration flight next year aims to accelerate the certification of Neste’s 100-percent MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel. The use of mixed SAFs in the two engines will likely result in 64 percent lower emissions, the airline says. With Sweden one of the countries with the highest climate awareness, Braathens is eager to contribute to projects that reduce emissions. BRA is the only Swedish airline on the Fossil Free Sweden initiative and was the first to offer passengers the option to choose a biofuel flight. As for ATR, its turboprop is by design 40 percent more economical than a regional jet. The airframer can benefit from this advantage a bit longer once 100-percent SAF has been certified. And while SAFs are expected to become the main fuel option for aviation in the next two to three decades, they are likely to be used as the only alternative on long-haul services. On short-haul, electric, hybrid-electric are seen as real alternatives in the early 2030s, with hydrogen (LH2) potentially from the mid-2030s. Is Airbus fishing in ATR's pond with the ZEROe turboprop. (Airbus) ATR has yet to disclose its plans for the medium to long-term future. The turboprop maker celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, having just released a special logo and video to go with the event. But there is no indication of how ATR plans to tackle the electric and hydrogen era with a new aircraft. Airbus surprised a few in September last year when it unveiled its ZEROe project, showing a 100-seat electric/hydrogen turboprop not dissimilar to the ATR 72. Embraer's new turboprop will initially rely heavily on SAFs but will be designed with hydrogen in mind. The long-term future of De Havilland Canada needs to be confirmed, but a Dash 8-100 will be used for Pratt & Whitney Canada new hybrid-electric engine from 2024. Right in Braathens front garden in Gothenburg, Heart Aerospace is working on an electric 19-seater that has already attracted orders from Finnair and United Airlines. It has growth potential for more. ATR will celebrate its anniversary in November. It has announced a strong presence at the Dubai Airshow from November 14-18, with most if not all of its leadership team on site. It would be a fitting occasion if the French and Italians would guide us there into the next forty years of ATR.
