Germany has formally inaugurated the first commercial plant for producing carbon-neutral synthetic kerosene from water, captured CO2 and renewable electricity.

GE Aviation says it will use a modified Saab 340B regional airliner as a flying testbed for hybrid electric propulsion technology to be evaluated as part of NASA’s Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program.

The availability of feedstocks for biofuels in the Netherlands in 2050 is expected to be far lower than the demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), concludes a report released by the Royal NLR aerospace research center. 

GE Aviation’s Catalyst engine, a clean-sheet turboprop engine that will power Textron Aviation’s new Beechcraft Denali, completed its first flight Sept. 30 on a King Air 350 Flying Test Bed.

NASA has awarded contracts to GE Aviation and MagniX for the Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, which aims to mature megawatt-class electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) technologies for regional and single-aisle transport aircraft from 2035 onwards.

Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways have each signed large offtake agreements with new producers of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as both airlines aim to convert at least 10% of their annual jet fuel usage to low-carbon alternatives by 2030.

Modeling future demand for electricity and hydrogen and ensuring safe airport handling are key focuses of 15 research projects awarded a total of £3 million ($4 million) in UK government funding.

The UK plans to build a center to lead research, testing and certification of new sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).