An ATR 72-600 of the
Swedish carrier BRA (former Braathens Regional) has
flown from Stockholm-Bromma to Umeĺ, fueled at 45%
with fossil-free used cooking oil, marking the first
biofuel-powered flight of an ATR aircraft.
BRA provides an
essential air service to link their main hub of
Stockholm-Bromma to twelve Swedish regions. The ATRs
of BRA provide an unrivaled performance advantage in
months with adverse weather conditions. The airline
is particularly committed to environmental
preservation and has already started replacing their
Saab 2000s with modern ATR 72-600s, recognized as
the most fuel-efficient aircraft on the regional
market.
Several research
and development initiatives are currently underway
in Sweden to produce biofuels from different types
of wood. In Sweden, forests cover more than 50% of
the country, and grow at a rate of 120 million cubic
meters annually. Making domestic air traffic in
Sweden completely fossil-free would require less
than 2% of the total annual forest growth.
Thanks to its
lighter structure, optimized speed and engines
designed for short routes, ATR aircraft already
demonstrate the best environmental performance in
its segment. Nonetheless, ATR continues to invest in
virtuous technologies and contributes to European
research and development efforts to take advances in
environmental performance even further. ATR
encourages the use of alternative fuels and offers
support to customers and local governments in
developing a comprehensive business plan, from fuel
selection to routing, certification and availability
for seamless airline operations.
Christian
Clemens,
Chief Executive Officer of BRA, said: “Sweden is
currently debating a new tax on aviation. It will
have a minimal impact on emissions, and will
unfortunately slow down the pace in which we can
continue to make aviation more sustainable. The ATR
72-600, especially if powered by biofuel, is the
optimal transportation on many of our routes and
features the highest standards of environmental
care.”
Christian
Scherer,
Chief Executive Officer of ATR, added: “Today’s
challenge is to get a large-scale production of
biofuels at affordable costs while avoiding a
negative impact on the environment. Swedish airlines
like BRA can take advantage of the massive expansion
of its forests, along with the operation of
fuel-efficient turboprops, to reach the ambitious
goal of halving their CO2 emissions by 2025.” |