Indonesia has completed its first commercial flight using palm oil blended jet fuel. The Indonesian Eagle Air Boeing 737-800NG flew from Jakarta to Surakarta, covering a distance of approximately 550 kilometers (342 miles).
Garuda conducted several tests, including flight tests and engine ground tests, before the new fuel was used. The palm oil-blended jet fuel is produced by state-owned energy company PT Pertamina at its Cilacap refinery, using Hydrogenated Ester and Fatty Acid (HEFA) technology as well as refined bleached and deodorized palm kernel oil.
According to Petronas, the fuel has lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels, and a number of mainly palm oil-producing countries have called for palm oil to be included as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Experts predict that the aviation industry will require 450 billion liters of sustainable aviation fuel by 2050, accounting for 65 per cent of the emissions reductions needed to achieve the net-zero emissions target. However, some countries have reservations about palm oil production due to its potential for deforestation, leading the European Union to restrict imports of the commodity.
Although Indonesia has mandated that aviation fuel must be blended with 3% biofuel by 2020, implementation has been delayed.Earlier in 2021, Indonesia's state-owned manufacturer, Dirgantara Indonesia, successfully tested the same fuel on a flight from Bandung, West Java, to Jakarta.
