Garuda Indonesia has operated a trial flight with a Boeing 737-800 using a sustainable aviation fuel blend based on palm oil.
The 4 October test involved the aircraft (PK-GFX) operating a flight from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International airport.
Prior to the sortie, ground tests including engine runs were conducted by MRO unit GMF Aero-Asia.
The flight used the Bioavtur J2.4 fuel produced by Indonesian petrochemical company Pertamina.
Pertamina says the fuel is a blend of 97.6% ordinary jet fuel and 2.4% biofuel derived from palm oil. The firm has previously tested Bioavtur J2.4 on an Airbus Defence & Space CN235 tactical transport, a type produced locally by Indonesian Aerospace.
Garuda’s 737 flight was operated in collaboration with Pertamina and several government agencies. Jakarta has targeted 2060 as the year to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
“This is a milestone that we have been waiting for,” says Garuda chief executive Irfan Setiaputra. He says the SAF flight provides “optimism” that Indonesia’s aviation industry can transtion to green energy sources, supporting the country’s climate-change goals.
