Indonesia made its first business flight on Friday using jet fuel containing a mix of palm oil, because the world’s largest producer of the commodity pushes for greater use of biofuels to chop fuel imports.
Operated by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, the Boeing 737-800NG aircraft carried greater than 100 passengers from the capital Jakarta to the town of Surakarta, about 550 kilometers (342 miles) away, said Garuda Indonesia CEO Irfan Setiaputra.
“We will continue to discuss with Pertamina, the Ministry of Energy and other parties to ensure that this fuel is commercially viable,” Irfan said on the ceremony, adding that the plane was scheduled to return to Jakarta afterward Friday.
Garuda conducted several tests, including a flight test on the brand new fuel earlier this month and an engine test on the bottom in August.
Palm jet oil mix is produced by Indonesian state energy company PT Pertamina at its Cilacap refinery using hydroprocessed ester fatty acid (HEFA) technology and is created from refined, bleached, deodorized palm kernel oil.
The Malaysian Palm Group has warned of losses from the “serious” labor market crisis
The Malaysian Palm Group has warned of losses from the “serious” labor market crisis
Pertamina said the palm-based fuel emits fewer atmospheric-warming greenhouse gases in comparison with fossil fuels, and palm oil-producing countries have called for the inclusion of edible oil within the feedstock for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
“In 2021, Pertamina successfully produced 2.0 SAF oil at its Cilacap unit using co-processing technology and it was produced from refined, bleached, deodorized palm kernel oil with a capacity of 1,350 kiloliters per day,” said Alfian Nasution, director of Pertamina .
Meanwhile, Harris Yahya, director on the Ministry of Energy, said that using biofuel would scale back the greenhouse effect.
The aviation industry, a significant emitter of greenhouse gases, is searching for ways to cut back its carbon footprint through the use of alternative fuels.
Experts say the industry will need 450 billion liters of SAF per yr by 2050 if the fuel is to cover about 65 percent of the mitigation efforts needed to satisfy net zero targets.
However, some countries have expressed concerns in regards to the potential for deforestation within the production of palm oil from plantations. The European Union has imposed import restrictions on this product.
In 2021, Indonesia conducted a test flight using the identical fuel on an aircraft of state-owned company Dirgantara Indonesia, flying from the town of Bandung in West Java to the capital Jakarta.
Indonesia has mandated mixing of biofuels at 3% in jet fuel by 2020, but implementation of the plan has been delayed.
