A First Leg Toward Sustainability: Mandarin Airlines Chooses SAF

Regional airlines are increasingly looking for practical solutions to reduce their environmental impact and ATR is committed to meeting their expectations, in particular by offering a SAF option for the first leg of their ferry flight. 

Last week, Mandarin Airlines reached an important milestone in its partnership with ATR by completing the ferry flight of its ATR 72-600 using a blend of 30% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on the first leg of the journey between Toulouse and Taipei. This newly delivered ATR 72-600 will join a fleet of 11 aircraft to provide essential connectivity across Taiwan, mainly from Taipei Songshan Airport. This initiative embodies the increasing commitment of the airline to more sustainable operations in its region. 

This flight forms part of ATR’s broader efforts to drive the entire regional aviation sector towards ever-lower emissions levels. While the ATR 72-600 equipped with PW127XT engines is already highly efficient and certified to operate with up to 50% SAF, ATR is also multiplying initiatives to accelerate SAF adoption, working closely with industrial partners, lessors and airlines worldwide: 

• For several years, ATR has been collaborating with Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) and Neste to accelerate 100% SAF compatibility across the ATR family. This partnership has already enabled a historic world-first flight in 2022, operated with 100% SAF in both engines of an ATR 72‑600. This landmark flight proved that the use of neat SAF can reduce up to 80% of CO₂ emissions across the full fuel lifecycle. 

• Regional airlines are increasingly adopting SAF options whenever possible. NAC had already opted for SAF blends back in 2023, saving tonnes of CO2. In 2021, Hokkaido Air System (HAC) had pioneered SAF use in Asia on the first leg of a ferry flight with an ATR 42‑600. 

These successive milestones, underpinned by our long-standing 100% SAF capability target by 2030, are further reinforced by our participation in programmes such as Clean Aviation. They demonstrate that integrating SAF into regional aviation is not a futuristic concept, but a transformation that is already underway.