Air France receives latest Airbus A220 following special SAF delivery  flight

On August 25, 2025, Air France received its 46th Airbus A220-300 in Paris, following the aircraft’s delivery flight from Airbus’ Mirabel final assembly plant in Canada. The ferry flight marked a first for both the type and the airline, as the aircraft was delivered with a blend containing 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), certified directly by Airbus.

A statement issued by the carrier said, “This milestone reflects the Air France-KLM Group’s commitment to accelerate the decarbonization of air transport. This landmark flight not only confirms Airbus’ capability to provide Proofs of Sustainability (PoS) directly to customers and operators but also supports the industry’s commitment to decarbonisation. With PoS credits for a 50% SAF blend applied through the mass balance process, this ferry flight conducted by Air France’s 46th A220-300 named “Vaison-La-Romaine” (and registered F-HPNU) represented more than 25 tonnes reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil fuels.” 

Alongside performing the groundbreaking SAF flight, another joint initiative between the Group and the manufacturer is enabling Airbus employees to reduce the carbon footprint of their business travel by supporting the production of SAF. This voluntary commitment is part of Air France-KLM’s “SAF Corporate” program, which facilitates the financing and purchase of SAF. Since joining the program in November 2023, Airbus has cut its emissions by more than 2,000 tons of CO₂ through the purchase of over 670 tons of SAF.

AirbusBoth the addition of more A220s plus the increasing use of SAF are ways in which Air-France-KLM Group is aiming to modernize the airlines’ respective fleets and to use more environmentally friendly measures to make flying greener in the future. SAF “plays a central role in reducing the carbon footprint of air transport, allowing at least a 65% reduction in CO₂ emissions over the full life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel. Air France-KLM is among the world’s top three SAF users and applies a strict sourcing policy, where only fuel that does not compete with human food supply, does not contribute to deforestation, and is not produced from palm oil is selected,” added the airline statement.

Fleet renewal progress

The enlargement of the Airbus A220 fleet is part of a wider fleet renewal plan at Air France and is described as “a cornerstone of the Group’s transformation strategy. With fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions reduced by 20% per seat-kilometer compared with previous-generation aircraft, the Airbus A220 embodies this ambition.”

Air France-KLM has nearly 200 new-generation aircraft (A220, A320neo, A321neo, A350, and Boeing 787) on firm order, and in 2024 alone, the Group took delivery of 41 new-generation aircraft across all its airlines. These major investments, which total more than €2 billion ($2.1 billion) per year, are said by the airline to be contributing to a fleet that, by 2030, will be composed of up to 80% new-generation aircraft. Air France’s first A220-300s, part of a total firm order of 60 aircraft, have been flying on its medium-haul network since October 2021.

What the parties say

“Fleet renewal and the use of sustainable aviation fuel are the two main levers of the decarbonization of aviation,” said Blaise Brigaud, SVP Group Sustainability, Air France-KLM. “Combining the two is only logical, and Air France-KLM is proud to participate in this Airbus milestone with the delivery flight of one of our A220s. Air France-KLM is among the world’s largest buyers of SAF. Directly receiving SAF at delivery is a game-changer, increasing transparency and driving industry progress.”

“Since the announcement of the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) delivery at Airbus site in Canada, enabling the Mirabel teams to use SAF for A220 production, customer acceptance, and test flights, this achievement solidifies Airbus’ commitment to using SAF for internal operations as well as customer ferry flights across all its commercial aircraft assembly sites and delivery centers worldwide.”

Fabian Joy / Shutterstock“In 2025 alone, we project cutting CO2 emissions by approximately 400 metric tonnes at our Mirabel site thanks to the 170,000 litres of pure SAF we will integrate to our activities,” said Benoît Schultz, CEO of Airbus Canada.”And we’re pushing our ambition further with this ferry flight with PoS credits for 50% SAF – a significant step that comes just ahead of Air France’s 50th A220 delivery later this year. On a global scale, 78% of Airbus aircraft were delivered with SAF blend for the first half of the year, underscoring the importance our customers place on decarbonisation.”

A town celebrates the A220 naming

The naming of the newest aircraft to join the Air France fleet has brought some joy to the people of the town of Vaison-La-Romaine, located north of the city of Avignon in the region of Vaucluse. Even the mayor of the town has embraced the naming of the aircraft after his town and has posted on the town’s social media page to celebrate the occasion.

“Our city was honored to be chosen for this new Airbus A220, a new-generation aircraft. ‘Vaison-la-Romaine’ is now part of the Air France fleet alongside other cities such as Arras, Rivesaltes, and Colmar, and will fly around the world at an altitude of 10,000 meters. A dizzying figure!” said the post (in French).

Additionally, to celebrate the christening of F-HPNU, in partnership with the Vaison Ventoux Provence tourist office, the town will be marking the naming of the aircraft by unveiling a 1/100th scale model of the Airbus A220 in a few weeks in front of the fresco of the municipal gymnasium of the Ulysse Fabre sports complex located in the town itself.

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