Operators flying to Europe from Sheltair at Farmingdale airport in New York, will be able to fuel with sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) from 16 to 18 May for a greener transatlantic flight.

To date, Avfuel has received commitments from high-profile OEMs to fuel up and fly over to Europe using the product prior to departure, including Bombardier, Embraer and Textron.

In order to supply the product, Avfuel acquired a concentrated delivery of SAJF from Colorado-based renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company Gevo, and blended it with petroleum-based jet fuel. This mixture was then tested for fuel quality and to ensure it met ASTM D1655 standards, simply making it jet fuel.

The difference is this product has a net benefit to the environment across its lifecycle. Created from corn starch, for every one million gallons of the concentrated SAJF that is produced, approximately 20 million pounds of animal feed and protein is sold into the food chain, and the final jet fuel product burns cleaner, reducing carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.

Those interested in learning more about sustainable alternative jet fuel are encouraged to visit Avfuel staff at EBACE where the fuel supplier's manager of alternative fuels, Keith Sawyer, will be present. Sawyer will also be involved with a technical panel at EBACE and at Farnborough airport's SAJF event on 18 May.

The company will also be using the expo to celebrate 15 years in the central European business aviation market. It began in 2004 with only 30 employees and two small jets, and now has more than 200 employees, large facilities and a complex portfolio of business aviation services. It operates nine business jets in the heavy jet and ultra-long-range categories, including two Legacy 600s as well as a Gulfstream G650 that was added to its fleet in February this year.

In the past few years it has received the Best Business Aviation Company Award, the NBAA Commercial Flying Safety Award and the NBAA Aviation Maintenance Department Safety Award, and has also achieved IS-BAO Stage III and IS-BAH Stage II certifications.

Chief operating officer and accountable manager Jan Králík says: “We started as a small company with big goals, and more importantly, with great enthusiasm, and this drove us continuously to deliver the best to our clients. I am proud to see that our unique approach has achieved results. I believe this is something that sets us apart and is also why our clients stay with us.”

The company provides services 24/7, worldwide. As an authorised Embraer service centre offering AOG support, one of the core businesses in the ABS Jets product portfolio is MRO. It holds all the necessary authorisations required of an EASA Part 145 organisation and closely cooperates with the ABS Jets CAMO unit. Last year, it expanded its approvals for the B1 rating and is now authorised to conduct engine borescope inspection and foreign object damage inspections in the field.

Over the years, ABS Jets has developed its own operations control centre, which has successfully planned flights for the demo fleets of various manufacturers and is currently specialising in special missions to remote and uncommon destinations. The comprehensive business aviation services package also includes VIP ground handling, achieving 20,000 flights handled last year.

“We feel the constant need for progress, which is why we are currently expanding our activities in order to fulfil our clients demand,” adds Králík.