Kenya Airways Bags ‘Best Innovation’ and ‘Most Impactful Breakthrough’ awards for Piloting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

By Samuel Ouma

Kenya Airways (KQ), the country's national airline, has won the Best Innovation and Most Impactful Breakthrough awards for becoming the first African carrier to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Africa to Europe.

The awards were issued during the 2023 Sustainable Flight Challenge Awards ceremony on October 3, 2023, at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

This honour comes on the heels of KQ's successful long-haul flight from Nairobi to Amsterdam, which used SAF as part of the SkyTeam Alliance's friendly competition program, the Sustainable Flight Challenge 2023.

Kenya Airways became the first African airline to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on a long-haul commercial trip from Africa to Europe.

“This 'Best Innovation' award is an achievement that highlights the beginning of our commitment to pioneering sustainable aviation practices, taking the lead in innovation, and driving change within our industry," said Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airways.

"This is a collective win for all KQ employees, our valued stakeholders, and the planet we serve for inspiring us to continue our journey towards a better, environmentally responsible aviation industry.”

The Sustainable Flight Challenge 2023 involved 22 airlines, including SkyTeam members and 'friends and family' carriers, and involved 72 flights in total.

Over 350 innovative ideas for industry-wide adoption were submitted. Notably, compared to the identical flights flown the previous month, this year's challenge resulted in an average 19% reduction in CO2 intensity.

Hundreds of ideas were developed by participants in the 2023 challenge to help promote a more responsible future for aviation—solutions that can be shared across the industry.

The Sustainable Flight Challenge, launched in 2022, encourages competition to drive solutions to lower the environmental footprint of air travel.