On November 21, Flight HU497 of Hainan Airlines departed from Beijing and landed safely in Chicago after 12 hours of flight. The flight attracted much attention because the aviation fuel used by the Boeing 787-8 airplane contained domestic No.1 biological aviation kerosene made from waste cooking oil. It marked China’s first transoceanic passenger flight by biological aviation kerosene. It also means important progress in the application of new energy in China’s civil aviation, and represents a breakthrough in the optimization of civil aviation energy structure and promotion of the industry’s green development.

From waste cooking oil to aviation fuel: civil aviation energy structure keeps improving

According to the chief of Aviation Fuel/Oil and Aerochemical Airworthiness Certification Center of CAAC, the biological aviation kerosene, different from traditional fuels such as petroleum and coal, is a new renewable aviation fuel with crops and micro-biomass such as soybean and corn and even waste cooking oil as raw material. The domestic No.1 biological aviation kerosene used by Hainan Airlines, produced by Sinopec, is extracted from waste cooking oil characterized by low-carbon and energy conservation and emission reduction. Its carbon emission is significantly lower than equivalent fossil fuel. Responsible person from Sinopec said that such biological fuel has the same composition with common aviation fuel and identical or even higher performance than fossil fuels.

In February 2014, CAAC issued an airworthiness certificate to the domestic No.1 biological aviation kerosene. In 2015, Hainan Airlines launched the first domestic flight with such aviation kerosene. This time, for Flight HU497, the central fuel tank was filled by 40.8 tons of biological aviation kerosene with 15% of blending proportion, and fuel tanks on both wings were filled 33 tons of traditional aviation kerosene.

CAAC has attached great importance to this flight using biological aviation kerosene. On November 15, CAAC officially issued the Approval of Airworthiness of Civil Aviation Fuel Supply Enterprises to Sinopec. On November 20, a preparatory work meeting was held by CAAC to debrief on the work progress by Sinopec, China National Aviation Fuel and Hainan Airlines, and made subsequent overall arrangements for flights.

According to CAAC’s Department of Aircraft Airworthiness Certification, CAAC has carried out multiple measures and actively cooperated with petro-chemical sector. It has enhanced the airworthiness certification of biological aviation kerosene, kept improving aviation energy structure, promoted green and low-carbon fuel in China’s civil aviation industry, and strived to make contributions to the building of an environment-friendly and energy-conserving civil aviation industry.

From idea to market: putting more domestic civil aviation products into application

Report of the 19th National CPC National Congress proposed to promote green development, establish energy-conserving and environment-friendly industries with clean energy, advance revolutions in energy production and consumption, and build a clean, safe, efficient and low-carbon energy system. As a strategic industry in China, civil aviation industry has optimized energy structure and greatly supported development and application of new fuels.

However, it is not an easy process to turn a new idea into a product for the market. For its complicated technology and high costs, biological aviation kerosene has been rarely used in China before. It is said that the United Airlines started to use such fuel in 2016 on its scheduled route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Chinese airlines shall be more active in promoting the application of new fuels especially biological aviation kerosene in scheduled flights, pushing forward application of domestic aviation products, and building a positive global image in energy-conservation and emission-reduction.

CAAC’s Department of Aircraft Airworthiness Certification has been making efforts in research and airworthiness certification for domestic biological aviation kerosene so as to offer more solutions in case of potential energy crisis in the future. It is hoped that the petro-chemical sector could scale up efforts in research of biological aviation kerosene production with various materials and methods, produce and put the products to the aviation market according to airworthiness requirements. The department will actively collaborate with the industrial sector, develop feasible airworthiness certification measures for biological aviation kerosene, and further enhance airworthiness management of the entire chain from production, transport and refilling to ensure aviation safety.

CAAC will continue to encourage innovation and promote the application of more domestic aviation products. According to the chief of CAAC’s Department of Aircraft Airworthiness Certification, it is a shared responsibility for civil aviation industry and the industrial sector to realize China full-chain and cross-board application of domestic aviation products. He said, “We hope that the industrial sector could produce more kinds of aviation fuels including aviation lubricant and hydraulic fluid. CAAC would also enhance its capabilities in airworthiness certification of various domestic aviation fuel products, serve civil aviation industry development and the national strategy of large aircraft development, and make more contributions to the developing of China into a country with a strong civil aviation industry.”