Vietjet Thailand has become the first low-cost Thai carrier to operate flights with a 1% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), while it awaits the delivery of more fuel-efficient Boeing 737-8 jets delayed due to the US government shutdown.
Woranate Laprabang, chief executive of Vietjet Thailand, said the Bangkok-Phu Quoc route started using the SAF blend yesterday, with usage expected to expand to other routes next year, such as from Bangkok to Cam Ranh and Danang.
He said SAF could reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with the commonly used A-1 jet fuel.
Following the International Civil Aviation Organization’s standard, the airline aims to use SAF blending of 5% across all routes by 2030, helping to reduce carbon emissions by 153,000 tonnes over the next six years.
The airline plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc to ensure sufficient supply in the future.
Even though SAF costs more than twice the price of Jet A-1, it should not significantly impact passenger airfares as the blending portion is only 1%, he said.
With its entire fleet expected to change to Boeing B737-8s, he said the new aircraft model would cut fuel consumption by more than 15% compared to existing Airbus A320s.
However, the first delivery has been postponed four times this year, with the latest obstacle stemming from the US government shutdown, which is now the longest in American history.
Mr Woranate said the airline has been told that the first two planes would be delivered this month.
These planes will take 2-3 weeks for registration and should be ready to operate before Christmas this year.
The airline hopes to receive another five aircraft in December, and another two in January, a month behind schedule.
For the whole of next year, the airline should receive 13 new planes, followed by more than 10 jets in 2027 to fulfil its goal of having 50 aircraft by 2028.
As thousands of passengers were impacted by rescheduled flights due to delayed delivery, including direct routes from Bangkok to Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka, Mr Woranate said the airline would ensure that those tickets were fully refunded or rerouted to other connecting flights on Vietjet networks.
Vietjet Thailand will also launch new flights in the next few months, such as from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in December.
For India, the airline is planning services to Ahmedabad and Kolkata, and adding Cam Ranh in Vietnam in January next year.