The airline Air France set off on a long-haul flight for the first time with a sustainable fuel made from edible oil from French production.

The machine took off on Tuesday afternoon from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris in the direction of Montréal in Canada, the company said.

Air France-KLM has teamed up with the energy company Total, the aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the airport operator ADP to make air travel more environmentally friendly. Such biofuels should significantly reduce CO2 emissions. So-called Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is currently mainly produced from biomass such as vegetable and edible oils that are no longer used.

"We are leaders in the production and use of sustainable fuels and, together with our partners, are doing everything we can to help reduce CO2 emissions," promises Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM. “Sustainable fuels are an important lever to achieve our goals of decarbonising the aviation sector. Airbus supports all initiatives that contribute to their development and use on commercial flights, ”adds Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus.