At the International Paris Air and Space Show, the three partners unveiled the conclusions of their work on a still little-known but promising lever for the decarbonisation of air transport: the reduction of non-CO₂ effects through the targeted use of SAF. An educational video was premiered on the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region’s stand to raise public awareness of this forward-looking topic.
As climate change accelerates at an unprecedented pace, the urgency of transitioning air transport towards more sustainable solutions is becoming increasingly evident. While the aviation sector is primarily associated with CO₂ emissions, other phenomena, known as “non-CO₂ effects” – such as contrails – significantly worsen its climate impact. Estuaire’s research indicates an overall 30% increase in the climate impact attributable to CO₂ alone due to these effects.
Faced with this situation, Elyse Energy, Bordeaux Airport and Estuaire joined forces to assess the potential for reducing these effects using SAF.
- The jointly conducted study shows that SAF, in addition to enabling a more than 70% reduction in CO₂ emissions over its full lifecycle, can also help limit contrail formation by emitting fewer fine particles during combustion.
- By analysing flight data from Bordeaux, the partners identified the routes most conducive to contrail formation and strategically allocated SAF to these so-called “sensitive” flights.
In 2023, contrails accounted for 13% of the CO₂eq climate impact of flights departing from Bordeaux (which represent over 99% of the airport’s Scope 3 carbon footprint).
By prioritising SAF use on flights with a high risk of contrail formation – in particular those operated in the late afternoon – the study demonstrates the potential of smart SAF deployment: it could achieve an additional reduction in the climate impact of contrails of up to 47%.
This approach paves the way for a rapid, measurable and effective reduction of aviation’s climate footprint: a simple allocation rule for a minimal volume of SAF, with maximum impact on contrails. The study illustrates the strategic role that sustainable fuels can play, in synergy with flight path optimisation and air traffic management.
It also contributes to achieving the SAF incorporation targets set by the European Union (6% by 2030), while supporting the emergence of a sovereign industrial sector.
Initiated in Nouvelle-Aquitaine – a historic region for the aeronautics industry – this joint study demonstrates the capacity of local areas to innovate, anticipate European regulatory developments, and position sustainable aviation as a lever for industrial revitalisation.
Find out more:
Video (FR): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTvm_AFfQTE
Video (EN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOuOnQIosuo
