The business aviation industry’s focus yesterday centered on California’s Van Nuys Airport, where "Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Towards Sustainability" took place, marking the first time sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) was made available for retail sale to aircraft operators. World Fuel Services provided 8,000 gallons of the blended renewable fuel produced by California-based World Energy for the event, while Gevo, through its distributor Avfuel, offered another 6,200 gallons, which were delivered to the FBOs on the field and mixed into their fuel supplies.

According to Van Nuys Airport Association head Curt Castagna, between the time the SAJF was delivered at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, the airport saw more than 140 departures of turbine-powered aircraft. Also drawing from those supplies were aircraft supplied by Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Embraer, which took event attendees on hour-long demonstration flights to show that the fuel is a seamless replacement.

“This is drop-in fuel, it is jet-A, it just comes from a different source, you can mix it in the fuel tanks,” said Charles Etter, head of environmental and regulatory affairs and technical fellow with Gulfstream. “It has better freeze point qualities to it, it has more energy density to it, it's actually a better fuel.”