Vistara first Indian airline to operate wide-body aircraft on long-haul with SAF

The special flight, using SAF, was operated on Vistara’ s brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in partnership with Boeing and GE Aerospace.

The ferry flight from Charleston International Airport, South Carolina to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi was on Vistara’ s newest GEnx-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, the fourth in its fleet.

By using a blend of 30 percent SAF with 70 percent conventional jet fuel, Vistara was able to reduce approximately 150,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions over the fuel’s life cycle.

Vinod Kannan of Vistara: “We take immense pride in carrying out another pioneering initiative to operate a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul route using SAF, as we took delivery of our all-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.”

Salil Gupte of Boeing India: “This is a major milestone in the Indian aviation industry's journey towards decarbonization, and we are proud to have been a partner in this endeavour.”

Vikram Rai of GE Aerospace: “The GEnx engine, like all GE Aerospace engines, can operate on approved SAF blends today. The GEnx is also up to 15% more fuel efficient than its predecessor, helping reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in flight in addition to the benefits of SAF.”

The GEnx engine is a high-thrust jet engine developed for the 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 airplane. Representing a giant leap forward in propulsion technology, GEnx uses lightweight durable materials and advanced design processes to reduce weight, improve performance, and lower maintenance, making it the best engine choice for many long-haul flights.

Dave Kircher of GE Aerospace: “Collaborations like this, that bring a long-haul flight using SAF for the first time to India, show what solutions are possible on a global scale towards the aviation industry’s net zero ambitions."

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