The Airbus Canada A220 site recently received its first delivery of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), allowing the Mirabel team to incorporate SAF into their production, customer acceptance, and test flights. This marks a significant step, as all Airbus commercial aircraft assembly sites worldwide are now using SAF for their internal operations.
By the end of 2025, Airbus plans to offer SAF for ferry flights at all its commercial aircraft delivery centers globally. At the Mirabel site alone, over 600,000 liters of SAF, blended with 30% SAF, are expected to be used in 2025, leading to a reduction of approximately 400 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
Benoît Schultz, CEO of Airbus Canada, commented, “On average, SAF can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. This major reduction is vital to achieving the industry’s decarbonisation goals by 2050. It’s a significant milestone to have our Mirabel site in Canada fully equipped to handle SAF, enabling us to test our A220 aircraft with SAF and deliver them to customers using SAF as well.”
In 2024, SAF accounted for 18% of Airbus’ total fuel mix, which equates to more than 16 million liters of pure SAF. Furthermore, 75% of Airbus aircraft delivered worldwide were fueled with SAF, underscoring the growing emphasis customers are placing on sustainability.
The management of SAF at Mirabel will follow the mass balance approach. After SAF is delivered to the site, it is blended with conventional aviation fuel (CAF), also known as Jet-A1, at the Mirabel fuel farm. This blending process is conducted in accordance with established standards and auditable record-keeping. Airbus Canada aims to provide SAF Proof of Sustainability (PoS) to A220 customers receiving aircraft from Mirabel in 2025. SAF has been used in A220 aircraft delivered from the A220 Mobile Final Assembly Line since 2016.
The A220, like all Airbus aircraft, is capable of operating with up to 50% SAF. Airbus’ goal is for all its aircraft to be capable of flying with up to 100% SAF by 2030.
The Airbus Mirabel site spans over 1.5 million square feet and houses various facilities, including a pre-final assembly line (pre-FAL), two final assembly lines (FAL), a customer response center (CRC), a flight and integration test center (FITC), and a new delivery center. More than 3,500 Airbus employees work at this location.
