Boeing, Etihad Airways, Takreer, Total, and Masdar to collaborate for sustainable aviation biofuels in the UAE

In the United Arab Emirates, Boeing, Etihad Airways, Takreer, Total, and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology have announced a collaboration for sustainable aviation biofuels in the UAE.

The collaboration, BIOjet Abu Dhabi: Flight Path to Sustainability, will develop a comprehensive framework for a UAE biofuel supply chain, which is already in motion. Etihad Airways recently completed a 45-minute demonstration flight in a Boeing 777 powered partially by biofuel converted from plants by Total, and refined into jet fuel by Takreer, together representing UAE-produced sustainable aviation biofuel.

The BIOjet Abu Dhabi initiative will focus on research and development and investments in feedstocks production and refining capability in the UAE and globally. Boeing and Etihad Airways have previously collaborated as the founding partners of the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium, which has been researching and developing salt-tolerant plants.

“In collaboration with our key partners, our goal is to support and help drive the commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel in Abu Dhabi, the region and also globally,” said Etihad Airways President and CEO James Hogan. “We have made some important first steps in this process and our continued focus will be to develop further initiatives such as this which will facilitate the availability of sustainable aviation biofuels for Etihad Airways in the coming years.”

“Takreer is proud to have been involved in refining this aviation biofuel at its Abu Dhabi research center,” said Takreer CEO Jasem Ali Al Sayegh. “We support the concept of using biofuel as a sustainable aviation fuel for a cleaner future in line with ADNOC’s sustainability policy. We see this strategy as complementary to our future plans in meeting the rapid growth in demand for jet fuel in the country and the region in view of the expansion of the operations of airlines here.”

The BIOjet Abu Dhabi announcement commences Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and the World Future Energy Summit.

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