Gulfstream Makes First Carbon Neutral Flights
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced the Gulfstream G650ER, Gulfstream G600, Gulfstream G500, Gulfstream G550 and Gulfstream G280 made the company’s first carbon-neutral flights, traveling from Savannah to the Las Vegas area for the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The five flights were made using a combination of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon offsets.
“Gulfstream already designs extremely fuel-efficient, quiet aircraft capable of using sustainable aviation fuel, which we offer to customers and use regularly for our corporate operations, so using carbon offsets was the natural next step to advancing and elevating our sustainability commitment,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “Reducing our industry’s carbon footprint is paramount for ensuring a sustainable future for aviation.”
Gulfstream’s fleet flew to Henderson Executive Airport near Las Vegas on a 30/70 blend of low-carbon, drop-in SAF and traditional, petroleum-based Jet A fuel. The emissions associated with using 70 percent Jet A were more than offset by the company’s purchase, for a per-flight-hour fee, of verified emission reduction credits through a third-party offset provider. The offsets represented more than 200 percent of the carbon emitted during the trip.
After NBAA-BACE, set for Oct. 22 through 24, the Gulfstream fleet will fly back to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport on SAF and carbon offsets.
“The offset provider we are using supports projects and technologies that reduce environmental effects worldwide,” Burns said.