Volaris airline is looking for fuel substitutes
2022.12.09 08:23
Volaris airline is looking for fuel substitutes
Budrigannews.com – In an interview following the company’s investor day, the airline’s top executive stated that Volaris, a Mexican low-cost carrier, is looking into various options for acquiring sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), one of which is a potential deal in the United States.
Enrique Beltranena, the airline’s chief executive, told Reuters, “We have to work on developing supply in Mexico.” He also said that the airline had only flown with sustainable fuel once, on a flight from Germany to Mexico, due to the lack of local availability.
“SAF is actually an ethanol. He continued, “And what we don’t have in Mexico is a way to convert that ethanol into jet fuel by mixing it.”
SAF is anticipated to have the greatest impact on lowering airlines’ carbon emissions because it can be produced from feedstocks like crop residues, used cooking oils, and other waste products. However, it remains in short supply and is more expensive than conventional fuels.
According to Beltranena, Volaris has been negotiating a deal to acquire SAF in the United States, which would fuel flights from the United States to Mexico. He stated that additional information would be available “within the next three months.”
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Volaris, VivaAerobus, a rival airline, and other industry leaders announced last week that they were looking for proposals to accelerate and scale up SAF production in Mexico.
In a presentation on Tuesday, executives stated that Volaris is also considering route expansions, aiming for up to 300 domestic routes, 145 U.S. routes, and more than 100 other routes in the medium term.
Mexico must regain its Category 1 safety rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States before the expansion of U.S. routes can proceed. The FAA downgraded Mexico in 2021 for what it claimed was noncompliance with safety standards. According to Beltranena, Billy Nolen, the acting administrator of the FAA, will visit Mexico in January.
Volaris predicts that the rating will be restored by the fourth quarter of 2023, despite the fact that Mexican authorities plan to restore it in April of the following year.
Beltranena stated that the transportation ministry has outlined a series of proposals aimed at recovering the rating that require modifications to regulations, budgets, and international compliance in personnel licensing, aircraft operations, and airworthiness of aircraft. Mexico has replaced officials overseeing the industry in recent months.
