Observer Alvin Lie Values Bioavtur Is Safe For International Flights

Aviation observer Alvin Lie. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

Aviation observer Alvin Lie assesses that Pertamina Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or Bioavtur fuel is safe for flights because it has international standards.

"As an effort to transition energy to Net Zero Emission (NZE), we must appreciate the use of Bioavtur," he said, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, October 28.

Therefore, he appreciated the use of environmentally friendly aviation fuel Pertamina Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or Bioavtur by Garuda airlines.

Alvin, who is also the Chairman of the Indonesian Aviation Service User Association (Apjapi), added that Pertamina had long started the environmentally friendly aviation fuel, which was around 13 years with various trials.

During the 13 years of trials, he continued, every time there was progress, Bioavtur had to be tested through international testing, because to use the fuel, Garuda also chartered an aircraft made by the foreign industry.

So quality, it is acceptable according to international standards. That's very important. Because in flight, safety factors are the main and non-negotiable," he said by telephone.

The plane is certainly insured, he added, thus, airlines and insurance companies are also testing because they don't want the plane to be damaged or have an incident.

According to Alvin, the fuel for aircraft is different compared to other vehicles, such as biofuels on motorbikes.

Bioavtur is carried by aircraft flying above 30-40,000 feet with temperatures -30 to -40 degrees Celsius, he added, in these conditions, it is proven that they do not freeze, the chemical character does not change.

Because the quality of Bioavtur is equivalent to Avtur, added Alvin, the fuel for aviation is also in accordance with aircraft engines from various industries such as Boeing, Airbus and others.

"Of course the same. Because Avtur must have the same international standards for aircraft engines," he said.

For this reason, Alvin hopes that in the future Pertamina will continue to develop Pertamina SAF or Bioavtur.

In this case, Pertamina's challenge is to increase production capacity so that it can meet demand and price problems.

Previously, on Friday, October 27, Pertamina SAF or Bioavtur was used by Garuda by flight from Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Tangerang) to Adi Soemarmo Airport (Surakarta), and returned to Jakarta with this environmentally friendly aviation fuel.