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Kenya Airways Plc is taking a bold step to show that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be made and used right in Africa.
The Nairobi-based airline will operate four return flights between October 14 and 21, each running partly on a SAF blend, as it tests the feasibility of producing the green fuel locally, according to Bloomberg.
The first of these flights took off on Tuesday from Nairobi to Paris, where new European rules require at least 2% SAF on all departing flights. For this journey, the airline used a mix of conventional jet fuel and a locally produced biofuel made from drought-resistant plants such as croton.
Kenya Airways was the first African carrier to operate a long-haul SAF-powered flight in 2023, using biofuel supplied by Italy’s Eni SpA.
But importing SAF is expensive. The green fuel can cost twice as much as regular jet fuel, and up to five times more for African airlines due to logistics and lack of local supply, according to CEO Allan Kilavuka.
Passengers in Africa are not yet willing to pay extra for lower-carbon flights, Kilavuka said. “so we need to find a way to reduce SAF production costs and hopefully get subsidies from organizations or governments.”
Attracting green capital
Kenya Airways will also operate SAF-powered flights from Nairobi to Amsterdam, London, and Cape Town. At European airports, it will refuel with SAF, but the Cape Town return flight will use conventional fuel. The carrier aims to begin with 2% SAF across its fleet and gradually increase to 10% by 2030.
Local SAF production could unlock financing from African lenders and international climate funds while helping airlines comply with future regulations.
The SAF for Kenya Airways’ demo flights is produced by Bleriot Group, which holds a 15-year lease on 6,000 acres of land previously mined by Base Titanium Ltd. The land, unsuitable for food crops, is now used to cultivate plants for biofuel, a sustainable alternative use, according to Bleriot.
