ATR and Sweden’s BRA perform first ATR biofuel flight
ATR supports its customers deploying sustainable operations with alternative fuels.
BRA provides an essential air service to link their main hub of Stockholm-Bromma to twelve Swedish regions. The ATRs of BRA provide an unrivaled performance advantage in months with adverse weather conditions. The airline is particularly committed to environmental preservation and has already started replacing their Saab 2000s with modern ATR 72-600s, recognized as the most fuel-efficient aircraft on the regional market.
Several research and development initiatives are currently underway in Sweden to produce biofuels from different types of wood. In Sweden, forests cover more than 50% of the country, and grow at a rate of 120 million cubic meters annually. Making domestic air traffic in Sweden completely fossil-free would require less than 2% of the total annual forest growth.
Thanks to its lighter structure, optimized speed and engines designed for short routes, ATR aircraft already demonstrate the best environmental performance in its segment. Nonetheless, ATR continues to invest in virtuous technologies and contributes to European research and development efforts to take advances in environmental performance even further. ATR encourages the use of alternative fuels and offers support to customers and local governments in developing a comprehensive business plan, from fuel selection to routing, certification and availability for seamless airline operations.
Christian Clemens, Chief Executive Officer of BRA, declared: “Sweden is currently debating a new tax on aviation. It will have a minimal impact on emissions, and will unfortunately slow down the pace in which we can continue to make aviation more sustainable. The ATR 72-600, especially if powered by biofuel, is the optimal transportation on many of our routes and features the highest standards of environmental care.”
Christian Scherer, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, declared: “Today’s challenge is to get a large-scale production of biofuels at affordable costs while avoiding a negative impact on the environment. Swedish airlines like BRA can take advantage of the massive expansion of its forests, along with the operation of fuel-efficient turboprops, to reach the ambitious goal of halving their CO2 emissions by 2025.”
About BRA:
BRA (formerly Braathens Aviation, Malmö Aviation, Braathens Regional and Sverigeflyg) carries out operations related to air travel with a focus on domestic and regional flights in Sweden. Its operating hub is Stockholm-Bromma Airport, the airport nearest downtown Stockholm. BRA has a third of the domestic passengers in Sweden, operating 13 routes connecting Sweden from Umeå in the north to Malmö in the south. BRA has 1100 employees and is certified with ISO 14001.
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About ATR
ATR is the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer with its ATR 42 and 72, the best-selling aircraft in the below 90-seat market segment. The unifying vision of the company is to accelerate sustainable connections for people, communities and businesses, no matter how remote. Flown by some 200 airlines in over 100 countries, ATR aircraft opened 160 new routes in 2023, facilitating the development of territories and enabling access to crucial services like healthcare and education. Thanks to ATR’s focus on continuous innovation and the intrinsic efficiency of the turboprop technology, ATR aircraft are the most advanced, versatile, cost-effective and lowest-emission regional aircraft on the market, emitting 45% less CO2 than similar-size regional jets. In January 2022, we flew the first ever commercial aircraft using 100% SAF in both engines. ATR is a joint-venture between Airbus and Leonardo.