Sustainable Aviation
Bell 505 Achieves Over 700 Flight Hours with Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Bell 505 surpasses 700 hours on blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel demonstrating reliable, daily use in training operations.
Bell 505 Surpasses 700 Flight Hours on Sustainable Aviation Fuel
We are witnessing a pivotal shift in the rotorcraft industry as manufacturers move from theoretical demonstrations to practical, sustained applications of green technology. On November 24, 2025, during the European Rotors 2025 trade show in Cologne, Germany, Bell Textron Inc. announced a significant achievement in this domain. A dedicated Bell 505 helicopter has successfully surpassed 700 flight hours using blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This milestone marks a transition from short-term testing to long-term operational validation.
The flight hours were accumulated at the Bell Training Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. By utilizing a training aircraft for this initiative, Bell has demonstrated the viability of SAF in high-volume, daily operations. This is not merely a proof of concept, it is a stress test of the fuel’s reliability under the rigorous demands of pilot training. The initiative highlights the seamless integration of alternative fuels into existing platforms without disrupting standard operating procedures.
This achievement is the result of a strategic collaboration between Bell and Safran Helicopter Engines. It underscores a shared commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of vertical lift operations. As the aviation sector faces increasing pressure to meet global sustainability targets, data-driven milestones like this provide the necessary evidence to encourage broader adoption of SAF among operators and regulatory bodies.
Operational Reliability and Technical Specifications
The aircraft at the center of this milestone is the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, a short light single-engine helicopter known for its versatility in corporate, public safety, and training missions. Powered by the Safran Arrius 2R engine, the aircraft utilized a specific type of fuel known as “blended SAF.” This mixture typically combines 30 to 50 percent pure sustainable fuel with conventional Jet A fuel. The accumulation of over 700 flight hours confirms that the engine and airframe can operate consistently on this blend without requiring mechanical modifications.
One of the most critical aspects of this program is the demonstration of “drop-in” capability. In the context of aviation, a drop-in fuel is one that can be substituted for conventional jet fuel within existing infrastructure and engines. The Safran Arrius 2R is currently certified to operate on up to a 50 percent SAF blend. By logging substantial hours at the Bell Training Academy, we see proof that operators can integrate these fuels into their current logistics chains without the need for expensive retrofits or specialized handling equipment.
The fuel for this initiative was supplied through partnerships with key industry providers, including Neste and Avfuel. These collaborations are essential for establishing a reliable supply chain, which remains one of the primary hurdles for widespread SAF adoption. The successful completion of these flight hours serves as a signal to the market that the hardware is ready, provided the fuel supply continues to scale to meet demand.
“Bell is proud to celebrate this next step in industry carbon reduction objectives. Working alongside Safran Helicopter Engines has given us the cutting-edge advantage of exploring opportunities in greener aviation practices.”, Robin Wendling, Managing Director of Europe, Bell.
Strategic Implications and Future Roadmap
This 700-hour milestone is part of a broader timeline of sustainability efforts by Bell and its parent company, Textron. It supports Textron’s “Achieve 2025” Sustainable Footprint goal, which targets a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the enterprise. Furthermore, it aligns with the general aviation industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We recognize that incremental steps, such as validating blended fuels, are necessary precursors to achieving these ambitious long-term targets.
While the current operations utilize a blend, the technology is rapidly advancing toward higher concentrations of sustainable components. In February 2023, Bell and Safran achieved the world’s first single-engine helicopter flight using 100 percent SAF with the Bell 505. The current 700-hour achievement complements that breakthrough by focusing on endurance and daily utility rather than maximum capability. Safran has indicated that its engines will soon be capable of operating on 100 percent drop-in SAF, which would significantly maximize emission reductions.
Commercial interest in the Bell 505 remains strong alongside these sustainability developments. At the same European Rotors 2025 event, German operator Heli Transair signed a purchase agreement for three additional Bell 505 aircraft. This suggests that the market is responding positively to the platform, viewing its compatibility with sustainable practices as a value-add rather than a compromise on performance or cost-efficiency.
“We are particularly pleased with these SAF flights in partnership with Bell. SAF is key towards more sustainable helicopter use… Very soon, our engines will be capable of 100% drop-in SAF, paving the way for wider use of this type of fuel.”, Jean-François Sauer, EVP Programs, Safran Helicopter Engines.
Conclusion
The accumulation of over 700 flight hours on blended SAF by the Bell 505 represents a tangible step forward for sustainable rotorcraft operations. It moves the industry discussion from theoretical possibilities to proven realities, demonstrating that eco-friendly fuels can support the rigorous demands of pilot training and daily flight operations. By validating the performance of the Safran Arrius 2R engine with drop-in fuels, Bell has reduced the perceived risk for operators looking to transition to greener alternatives.
Looking ahead, the focus will likely shift toward increasing the availability of SAF and certifying engines for 100 percent sustainable fuel use. As manufacturers like Bell and Safran continue to refine the technology, and as supply chains mature, we anticipate that SAF will become a standard component of aviation logistics, driving the sector closer to its net-zero aspirations.
FAQ
What is the significance of the 700-hour milestone?
This milestone proves that the Bell 505 can operate reliably on blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) over a long period in a high-volume training environment, validating the fuel for daily use.
Does using SAF require changes to the helicopter engine?
No. The blended SAF used is considered a “drop-in” fuel, meaning it requires no modifications to the Safran Arrius 2R engine or the airframe.
What is the difference between this milestone and the 2023 SAF flight?
The February 2023 flight demonstrated the capability to fly on 100% SAF. The current milestone focuses on the endurance and operational reliability of using blended SAF over 700 accumulated flight hours.
Sources
Photo Credit: Textron
Sustainable Aviation
SABA Members Back Infinium eSAF Facility With Long-Term Deals
Google, McKinsey, and others sign binding SAFc agreements to support Infinium Energy’s 100,000 MT/year Texas eSAF project.
Corporate members of the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) have signed binding, multi-year agreements to purchase sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc) from Infinium Energy’s planned electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) facility in Texas. The commitments, announced on September 22, 2026, are designed to provide the financial demand signals necessary for Infinium to reach a final investment decision on the project.
In a press release issued by SABA, the organization confirmed that American Airlines (AA) will serve as the physical offtaker for the fuel, managing logistics and delivery. The corporate buyers purchasing the associated certificates include AVEVA, Bain & Company, Google, and McKinsey & Company. The agreement marks the first time SABA’s procurement model has been utilized to directly drive new production capacity for scalable sustainable aviation fuel.
Project Atlas production and environmental targets
Infinium Energy was selected through a SABA procurement process earlier in 2026 to provide ultra-low carbon eSAF. The fuel is produced using waste carbon dioxide and renewable energy, distinguishing it from traditional biofuel pathways that rely on agricultural or waste feedstocks.
The planned Texas facility, designated Project Atlas, is expected to have an annual sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production capacity of 100,000 metric tons. According to the alliance, the contracted volumes will support an expected greenhouse gas abatement of 212,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e). SABA equates this emissions reduction to approximately 3,500 commercial flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
“We’re proud to partner with SABA members including AVEVA, Bain & Company, Google, McKinsey, and others, as well as American Airlines to bring Infinium Energy’s next world scale eSAF facility to life. Their commitment reflects a shared conviction that decarbonizing aviation requires real investment in next-generation supply,” said Robert Schuetzle, CEO of Infinium Energy.
Aggregating demand through book-and-claim
The transaction utilizes a book-and-claim model. Corporate buyers purchase the SAFc to claim the environmental benefits against their business travel emissions, while the physical fuel is delivered to partner airlines. This mechanism allows corporations to fund SAF production even when the physical fuel cannot be delivered directly to the airports their employees use.
American Airlines will manage the physical integration of the eSAF into the commercial aviation fuel supply chain. Jill Blickstein, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Airlines, stated that the corporate commitments broaden participation in the SAF market and demonstrate how customers can collaborate with airlines and fuel producers to advance decarbonization.
SABA, a joint initiative of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA), and RMI, has aggregated $500 million in SAFc demand from 35 companies to date. Aviation currently accounts for approximately 2 to 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“Novel technologies are critical to meeting future demand for sustainable aviation fuel, but they will not be operational in time without investments made today. This procurement demonstrates how aggregated, long-term demand can help take promising eSAF projects from idea to reality,” said Jon Creyts, CEO of RMI.
AirPro News analysis
We view this agreement as a critical structural step for the eSAF market. Power-to-Liquid (PtL) fuels like those planned for Project Atlas face a steep commercialization barrier. They are highly capital-intensive to build and currently produce fuel at a significant cost premium compared to both conventional Jet A and HEFA-based SAF derived from waste fats and oils.
Airlines operate on thin margins and generally cannot absorb the full green premium of eSAF alone. By unbundling the environmental attributes from the physical fuel, the SABA model allows highly capitalized corporate entities like Google and McKinsey & Company to absorb that premium. More importantly, signing binding, multi-year offtake agreements provides the revenue certainty that infrastructure lenders require before financing first-of-a-kind industrial facilities. If Project Atlas reaches a positive final investment decision based on these contracts, it will validate the book-and-claim model as a viable financing mechanism for next-generation aerospace infrastructure.
Sources: Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance via PR Newswire
Photo Credit: Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance
Sustainable Aviation
EU Exceeds 2025 SAF Mandate at 2.79 Percent Blend Rate
EASA reports EU airports hit 2.79% SAF blend in 2025, surpassing the 2% ReFuelEU mandate with 1.1M tonnes supplied.
The European Union surpassed its initial Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate in 2025, with SAF accounting for 2.79 percent of all jet fuel supplied to EU airports during the first mandatory reporting year.
According to the 2026 ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report published by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on September 17, 2026, fuel suppliers delivered 1.1 million tonnes of SAF against a total aviation fuel supply of 39.3 million tonnes. The 2.79 percent blend rate comfortably exceeded the 2 percent minimum required by the ReFuelEU regulation for 2025. This uptake resulted in an estimated reduction of 3.77 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are pleased to confirm that the SAF mandate under ReFuelEU Aviation was not only met but exceeded,” EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet stated in the agency’s press release.
Compliance and distribution across European hubs
The EASA report indicates high compliance rates across the sector. Ninety-three percent of aircraft operators and 90 percent of fuel suppliers fulfilled their reporting obligations in 2025. EASA noted that noncompliance among aircraft operators was primarily limited to small business jet operators, nonscheduled carriers, and third-country operators that failed to respond to competent authorities.
SAF distribution reached 121 Airports across all 27 Member States, representing 79 percent of all Union airports. Uptake was heavily concentrated at major European hubs. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) accounted for 29 percent of the tracked SAF supply, followed by Frankfurt Airport (FRA) at 8 percent and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) at 7 percent.
Supply chain dynamics and feedstock dependencies
While the headline blending figures demonstrate regulatory success, the technical report reveals a structural reliance on imported raw materials. Although 86 percent of the SAF supplied at EU airports was refined domestically within the European Union, 85 percent of the underlying feedstocks originated from outside the bloc.
The primary feedstock utilized was Used Cooking Oil (UCO) processed via the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) pathway. Of the imported feedstocks, 61 percent originated from China, with additional volumes sourced from Malaysia and Indonesia. On the refining side, Neste’s Rotterdam facility alone produced 33 percent of all European SAF in 2025.
AirPro News analysis
The successful implementation of the 2 percent mandate in 2025 proves that the logistical framework for SAF distribution at major European hubs is functional. However, the heavy reliance on Asian Used Cooking Oil presents a long-term vulnerability for European aviation. As the ReFuelEU mandate scales to 6 percent in 2030, the Regulations will also introduce sub-mandates for synthetic aviation fuels (e-fuels). With approximately 50 synthetic fuel projects awaiting final investment decisions and no large-scale e-fuel facilities currently operational in Europe, we anticipate significant capital mobilization will be required over the next 36 months to prevent future supply bottlenecks and reduce dependency on imported biomass.
Photo Credit: European Union Aviation Safety Agency
Sustainable Aviation
Montana Renewables Cuts SAF Expansion Cost to $137M
Calumet’s Montana Renewables targets 200M gallons of SAF annually by 2028 for $137M, down from a $1.2B plan.
Calumet, Inc. and its subsidiary Montana Renewables, LLC announced a revised expansion plan on September 1, 2026, that will scale SAF production to 200 million gallons annually by 2028 for a fraction of the originally projected cost.
By repurposing existing refining equipment at the Great Falls, Montana facility, the company expects to complete the MaxSAF project with only $137 million in remaining capital. This abandons a previous $1.2 billion megaproject design. The pivot eliminates the need for third-party equity and minimizes debt while accelerating domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) capacity.
Capital efficiency and Department of Energy funding
The original Phase 2 plan contemplated $1.2 billion in capital expenditure. The revised strategy captures 70 percent of the expected benefit for 15 percent of the cost. The financial restructuring involves an amended Loan Guarantee Agreement (LGA) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The original LGA was executed in January 2025, with a $782 million first tranche funded in February 2025 to recapitalize Montana Renewables, LLC (MRL). Under the amended agreement, the company will make a final draw of $34 million. This is significantly lower than the original $658 million Phase 2 DOE funding limit.
Calumet CEO Todd Borgmann stated the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) supported the adjustment to the loan agreement.
“Our amended agreement with the DOE facilitates innovative technology and domestic energy security at a fraction of the original cost. EDF’s willingness to right-size the LGA reflects its ongoing support for Montana’s largest agricultural investment. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the DOE on the success of this project,” Borgmann said.
Borgmann credited the company’s engineering and operational teams for developing a project that maximizes output while drastically reducing the required capital investment.
Production timeline and capacity milestones
The Great Falls facility currently operates at a 60 million gallon SAF run-rate following a spring 2026 constraint removal. A scheduled turnaround in the fourth quarter of 2026 will tie in repurposed equipment from the adjacent Calumet Montana Refining facility.
Following the fourth-quarter integration, the company expects to exceed an 80 million gallon SAF run-rate by December 31, 2026. Production is projected to surpass 120 million gallons by spring 2027 and reach the 200 million gallon target by December 31, 2028.
Total renewable product sales, including renewable diesel and renewable gasoline, are targeted at 17,000 barrels per day by year-end 2028. This represents a 40 percent expansion. The expanded facility will consume 2 billion pounds of ranch- and farm-originated feedstocks annually.
AirPro News analysis
The revised MaxSAF expansion highlights a strategic shift in how producers approach SAF scaling. As noted by Aviation Week on September 2, 2026, the plan allows the largest US producer of SAF to more than triple its production capacity for barely 10 percent of the originally planned investment.
During Calumet’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call on August 7, 2026, the company confirmed that Montana Renewables completed performance testing of the newly installed MaxSAF catalyst, which met or exceeded expectations. By leveraging existing fossil-fuel infrastructure rather than pursuing multi-billion-dollar greenfield projects, producers can bring SAF to market faster and with significantly lower financial risk. This capital-efficient model may set a precedent for other refiners looking to enter or expand in the renewable fuels sector without diluting equity or taking on unsustainable debt.
Sources: Calumet, Inc.
Photo Credit: Montana Renewables
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