Kenya Airways wins awards for piloting sustainable aviation fuel

Photo: Kenya Airways

Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, has been awarded the Best Innovation and the Most Impactful Breakthrough awards for being the first African carrier to pioneer use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Africa to Europe.

The awards were presented at the 2023 Sustainable Flight Challenge Awards ceremony held at Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 3.

This recognition follows the successful execution of a long-haul flight by Kenya Airways from Nairobi to Amsterdam that piloted SAF during the Sustainable Flight Challenge 2023, a friendly competition initiative by the SkyTeam Alliance.

Kenya Airways became the first African airline to fly a long-haul commercial flight from Africa to Europe using SAF.

“This ‘Best Innovation’ award is an achievement that highlights the beginning of our commitment to pioneering sustainable aviation practices, taking the lead in innovation, and driving change within our industry,” said Allan Kilavuka, group managing director and CEO of Kenya Airways. “This is a collective win for all Kenya Airways employees, our valued stakeholders and the planet we serve for inspiring us to continue our journey towards a better, environmentally responsible aviation industry.”

Twenty-two airlines comprised of SkyTeam members and “friends-and-family” airlines participated in The Sustainable Flight Challenge 2023 and collectively operated 72 flights.

Over 350 innovative ideas were submitted for industry-wide adoption.

Notably, this year’s challenge led to an average 19 percent reduction in CO2 intensity compared to the same flights operated in the previous month.

Participants in the 2023 challenge generated hundreds of ideas to help drive a more responsible future for aviation—solutions that can be shared across the industry.

Launched in 2022, the Sustainable Flight Challenge fosters competition to stimulate innovations aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of air travel.

During the awards ceremony, Patrick Roux, CEO of SkyTeam Alliance, commended Kenya Airways, stating, “We congratulate Kenya Airways on their remarkable achievement in spearheading sustainable aviation practices. This represents a significant advancement in the industry’s environmental initiatives and underscores Kenya Airways’ dedication to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future. I am also excited that the participating airlines have sparked numerous innovative solutions and new approaches that have the potential to drive positive change within the industry. At the same time, we await groundbreaking technologies and the increased availability of sustainable aviation fuels.”

Other winners included KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, recognized for its impressive adoption of sustainable solutions; Air France, acknowledged for its outstanding collaboration through the OLGA (Holistic Green Airport) project; and China Eastern, commended for its substantial emissions reduction through increased payload fractions.