Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia Successfully Conduct First Test Flight Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel on Commercial Aircraft

Jakarta, October 10, 2023 - Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia are realizing their commitment to actively contribute to carbon emissions reduction by continuously developing environmentally friendly aviation fuel for commercial aircraft, known as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). After passing the static testing phase, SAF successfully passed its first test flight.

The inaugural test flight took place last Wednesday (October 4) at Garuda Maintenance Facility AeroAsia Hangar 4, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten. SAF underwent ground round and flight tests on a commercial Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft with the registration number PK-GFX, owned by Garuda Indonesia. The test flight lasted for one hour, crossing the airspace of Pelabuhan Ratu before returning and landing at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

From this first test flight’s results, Researchers from PT LAPI ITB reported positive feedback that SAF with Bioavtur J2.4 on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft demonstrated good and controlled aircraft responses. With these favorable results, Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia are prepared to advance their collaboration to the next stage, which involves the planned SAF utilization in Garuda Indonesia's commercial flights.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra, stated the SAF Bioavtur J2.4 utilization trial successful completion is part of Garuda Indonesia Group's commitment and ongoing efforts to support various decarbonization initiatives, including SAF utilization exploration in Garuda Indonesia's flight operations.

"This is the milestone we have been eagerly awaiting. It certainly provides a unique sense of optimism for our joint efforts to realize our grand vision of introducing green energy into the national aviation ecosystem to support Indonesia's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions projected for 2060," Irfan added.

Furthermore, Irfan conveyed that after completing all phases of SAF utilization testing, Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia will continue their collaborative mission to make history in the national aviation industry by implementing SAF in Indonesia's commercial flights.

"We acknowledge that achieving our commitment to green energy management, particularly in the aviation ecosystem, cannot be accomplished without support and participation from various parties. Therefore, we express our appreciation to all stakeholders who have taken the initial steps in implementing renewable energy in Garuda Indonesia's flight operations," emphasized Irfan.

"With these results, Garuda Indonesia is ready to explore SAF utilization in its commercial flight operations. This readiness will be aligned with a comprehensive implementation assessment of SAF's suitability for corporate sector adaptation, especially in commercial aviation. It is the initial step that we hope will become a sustainable mission for the aviation ecosystem to become more adaptive in contributing to environmental sustainability," Irfan concluded.

Meanwhile, President Director of Pertamina, Nicke Widyawati, stated that Pertamina, as an energy company, continues its efforts to develop green fuels, including the production of SAF for Indonesia's aviation industry.

"Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a product of Pertamina's multifunctional innovation and subholding, demonstrating our commitment to becoming a leader in the renewable fuels development, particularly for aviation," Nicke stated.

Furthermore, Nicke explained that Pertamina produces SAF at the PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional Green Refinery, namely Kilang Cilacap, using the co-processing ester and fatty acid (HEFA) method. SAF has many advantages, one of which is lower emissions compared to fossil fuels. SAF will be marketed through PT Pertamina Patra Niaga for Indonesia's aviation industry.

"Pertamina's success in producing SAF, the first in the Southeast Asia, is a significant achievement. We hope that SAF can soon be introduced to commercial aviation as a primary milestone in the green energy development in Indonesia and contribute to decarbonization efforts," Nicke continued.

Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia are not alone in the SAF development. This success is the result of hard work in collaboration with the Directorate General of EBTKE of the Ministry of ESDM, the Ministry of Transportation, ITB, APROBI, BPDPKS, LEMIGAS, BRIN, as well as Pertamina and Garuda Indonesia’s subsidiaries.

SAF is being developed to implement energy transition program and achieve the NZE 2060 target.

Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**