The first flight from the African continent with Eni Sustainable Mobility's aviation biofuel is by Kenya Airways

The national airline Kenya Airways (KQ) is the first airline to use SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) supplied by Eni for a long-haul flight. KQ will participate in SkyTeam's Sustainable Flight Challenge (TSFC), a friendly challenge between airlines in the SkyTeam alliance.

The Boeing 787-800 (B787-8) Dreamliner, which took off today from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Amsterdam Schipol, is Kenya Airways' first flight also powered by Eni Sustainable Mobility's sustainable aviation fuel. For this flight, the JetA1 is mixed with Eni Biojet produced in the Livorno refinery by distilling the bio-components produced in the Gela biorefinery.

“Partnering with Eni Sustainable Mobility for this first flight with the SAF puts us on course to test the use of sustainable aviation fuel in Africa. The data and insights generated by the pilot flight will be invaluable for policy decisions, regulatory frameworks and industry best practices related to SAF. This is an important milestone for Kenya Airways and the wider African aviation sector,” said Allan Kilavuka, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Airways.

Eni Biojet contains 100% biogenic component and is suitable for use in a mixture with conventional jet (JetA1) up to 50%. For this flight, Eni Biojet was blended by Kenya Airways with traditional jet fuel in Nairobi. KQ collaborates with Eni on a path for the use of sustainable aviation fuel for its flights outside the country: the Nairobi-Amsterdam flight powered by SAF allows KQ to have a competitive advantage on the continent.

"The supply of Eni Biojet to Nairobi airport is an important step for Eni Sustainable Mobility because it confirms how the company can support airlines such as Kenya Airways in their decarbonisation process, including internationally" stated Stefano Ballista, Chief Executive Officer of Eni Sustainable Mobility.

From 2025, for all flights departing from European airports, a quota of SAF will be mandatory. For this KQ is working to take advantage of the current spread of sustainable fuels for aviation, in accordance with the direction indicated by the European Union with the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation which establishes objectives of blending traditional fuels with more sustainable fuels in increasing quantities .

Eni also markets a fuel for the aviation sector containing 20% ​​of a biogenic component, JetA1+Eni Biojet, for the supply of which it has signed agreements with national and international airlines, as well as with airports and logistics sector operators. From 2024, the biorefineries in Venice and Gela will start producing Eni Biojet from renewable raw materials, which will reach over 200 tonnes/year. This objective requires an important supply of raw materials for which Eni is developing both a supply chain in Kenya for the collection of UCO (exhausted cooking oils), working with companies and operators in the food sector and helping to manage food waste in a circular economy perspective, both a network of agri-hubs in Kenya and other African countries, to produce vegetable oils from marginal lands that do not compete with food production.

Eni Sustainable Mobility and Kenya Airways are working on a broader agreement for a long-term collaboration.

The first flight from the African continent with Eni Sustainable Mobility's aviation biofuel is by Kenya Airways