By Ling Hui
KUCHING, May 22: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and other passengers onboard the Aircraft A220-300, which was running on Sarawak-produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), have safely landed at the Langkawi airport.
The airBaltic airbus took off from the Kuching International Airport (KIA) at about 1.45pm and landed on Langkawi grounds at 5.15pm.
The Kuching-Langkawi test flight today marks a historical success for Sarawak in becoming a supplier of SAF for the aviation sector.
Earlier at KIA, before boarding, Abang Johari said Sarawak’s future is bright, especially when Sarawak has the ideal condition to grow algae to produce SAF, which is renewable and demanded by the world.
As of now, he said, the cost of producing one barrel of bio-jet fuel is roughly USD50, and the price when sold to refineries is about USD110 per barrel.
Although the cost may be quite high at the moment, he said the situation will improve when the world shifts from fossil fuel towards sustainable and renewable energy.
“That’s why Sarawak is quite at the forefront of this technology. That’s why I’m talking about Sarawak going forward. We have to explore all the available technology proven to produce sustainable oils,” he said.
Concurring with Abang Johari, Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today that Sarawak is moving on the right track with the SAF production.
He said aircraft manufacturers have been actively pursuing the use of SAF, including setting a target of using 100 per cent SAF for all its commercial aircraft operations by 2030.
Lee said that according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the aviation industry is responsible for 2.5 per cent of global carbon emissions.
ICAO has thus endorsed the 2050 ICAO Vision for SAF to commit all stakeholders to work towards SAF in their efforts to address climate change. — DayakDaily
