A Bell 505 has completed the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) fuelled flight of a helicopter when the aircraft took part in a demonstration flight from Singapore’s Selatar airport this morning. The project was the result of a cooperation between Bell, Safran Helicopter Engines and Neste with the assistance of Jet Aviation and Shell. Commenting on the demonstration flight Bell’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific, Jacinto Monge said “Bell has been in Southeast Asia for more than 40 years and we are proud to operate the first SAF helicopter flight here on our Bell 505,” Today’s flight demonstrates our commitment to incorporating SAF into our customer demonstration aircraft globally, supporting Textron’s Achieve 2025 Sustainable Footprint goal for 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.” Meanwhile, Safran Helicopter Engines, MD Asia Valarie Patruel added “We strongly believe in SAF, as it contributes to significantly reducing CO2 emissions. As all our helicopter engines, the Arrius 2R, is already certified to operate on up to 50% SAF, and we are fully ready to assist all Bell 505 operators worldwide in their transition from conventional fossil fuels to SAF. With our products, we are proud to play an active role in the development of decarbonisation initiatives in Asia Pacific”
