ATR and Pratt & Whitney Canada prepare for 100% SAF

ATR and Pratt & Whitney Canada are stepping up efforts to ensure the PW127-series engines are able to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2025.

This also includes the new PW127XT engine, which was certified by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada in the second half of 2022 and is expected to become the engine of choice for ATR aircraft going forward.

At the moment engines are only certified to operate on a blend of a maximum of 50% sustainable aviation fuel. However, there have already been some successful experiments with one or more engines running 100% with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), such as a flight completed by BRA – Braathens Regional Airlines in Sweden in June 2022.

On that occasion, an ATR-72-600 departed Malmö airport (MMX) in the south of Sweden, for a one hour and 20-minute flight to Stockholm Bromma Airport (BMA) powered exclusively by sustainable aviation fuel on both of its engines. The fuel was provided by Finnish energy company Neste.

ATR is aiming to get both its ATR-42 and ATR-72 families of aircraft certified to fly on 100% SAF by 2025.