Jakarta – The national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has stated that it has conducted a test of using bioavture, a mixture of avture and biofuel from palm kernel oil, in the CFM56-7B jet engine used in Boeing 737-800NG aircraft since 26 July 2023.

Garuda Indonesia President Director Irfan Setiaputra said that with its pioneering of the bioavtur use, Garuda Indonesia has become the first commercial airline in Indonesia that uses the renewable energy. “With this initiative, we support the implementation of green economic principles and become the first commercial aviation company in Indonesia to conduct the test of Bioavtur use in aviation,” Irfan Setiaputra said in a press release on Tuesday, 01 August 2023.

The use of bioavtur is in line with the commitment of Garuda Indonesia to support the Indonesian government to realize its target of net zero emission in Indonesia in 2060. One way to realize it is by developing ecofriendly aviation fuel based on the concept of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Called Bioavtur J2.4, the green aviation fuel is produced by mixing avture with 2.4 percent refined bleached deodorized palm kernel oil). It is the result of research and development conducted by Pertamina Group and a team of researchers from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

Pertamina Spokesperson Fadjar Djoko Santoso said recently that the bioavture  is produced in Pertamina refinery in Cilacap, Central Java. “It contains 2.4 percent processed palm kernel oil (PKO). The PKO differs from regular palm oil as it is extracted from palm seeds and it has a higher amount of saturated fat,” he said.

Garuda Indonesia said that after conducting the initial stage of bioavture test, which was implemented under a cooperation with a number of stakeholders that include Pertamina, ITB, the ministry of energy and mineral resources (MEMR) and transportation ministry, they will continue with ground test and then flight test. (*)

Source: TEMPO.CO/KONTAN.CO.ID