Archer’s flagship design, Midnight, is built for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) routes, cruising at 130 knots and charging for just a few minutes between trips. The manufacturer’s goal is to compete against ground-based ridehailing services such as Uber or Lyft with a comparably priced offering.

In the Bay Area, the company will work with real estate giant Kilroy Realty Corp. The partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to make the 50-acre Kilroy Oyster Point waterfront campus in South San Francisco the anchor of Archer’s planned network.

Archer and Kilroy will look to build a vertiport at Oyster Point, connecting it with routes to Napa, San Jose, Oakland, and Livermore.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Kilroy on developing infrastructure to support Archer’s air mobility service and laying the foundation for a robust network of landing sites throughout the Bay Area,” said Bryan Bernhard, chief growth and infrastructure officer for Archer.

The manufacturer says it already has relationships with infrastructure and operations providers in those cities. One of its two main FBO partners, Atlantic Aviation, has hubs in Napa and San Jose. The other, Signature Aviation—which earlier this week agreed to install Archer electric aircraft chargers at 200 of its locations—also has a site in San Jose and another in Oakland.

Interestingly, Livermore Municipal Airport (KLVK), that city’s sole airfield, has no scheduled airline service and is designated as a regional reliever airport. Five Rivers Aviation, which operates a full-service FBO at the airport, appears to be Archer’s partner there.

San Francisco International Airport (KSFO), meanwhile, is a hub for Archer partner and investor United Airlines. The companies plan to launch routes in Chicago and New York City, also hub airports, by 2025.

In addition to constructing a vertiport at Oyster Point, Archer and Kilroy intend to create what Archer dubs “Sea Portal”—a renewable energy-powered development that offers both eVTOL and electric ferry services for all companies at the waterfront hub. According to the manufacturer, the facility could come online by the end of next year. Looking ahead, the partners will explore expansions to other Kilroy sites.

“We believe that this innovative and sustainable service has the potential to provide exceptional convenience and optionality to current and future tenants at the project, further differentiating Kilroy Oyster Point within the South San Francisco market,” said Angela Aman, CEO of Kilroy.

Archer began building the first Midnight production prototypes, which it will use to complete type certification evaluations with the FAA, in February. The aircraft received its final airworthiness criteria from the FAA in May and completed its first transition from hover to forward flight the following month during a remotely piloted test.

In June, Archer became one of just two eVTOL manufacturers to earn FAA Part 135 air carrier permissions, the other being competitor Joby Aviation.

It expects to install electric charging stations at Atlantic FBO locations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami by next year, followed by similar infrastructure at as many as 200 Signature FBOs. Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey, Chicago O’Hare (KORD) International Airport, and KSFO—the bases of operations for Archer’s New York, Chicago, and Bay Area services—are all part of Signature’s network.

The company also intends to add electric chargers to planned air taxi hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which is shaping up to be its initial overseas launch market.

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“This is a transformative time for Signature, and our partnership with Neste is helping us take another significant step towards net zero by providing a 100 percent supply of blended SAF at our Los Angeles location,” said Derek DeCross, chief commercial officer at Signature Aviation. “This collaboration exemplifies how we’re working together with both our guests and our partners to accelerate the adoption of environmentally friendly practices and paving the way for a more sustainable future in aviation.”

• READ MORE: Boeing Ready to Buy 7.5 Million Gallons of SAF

The blended SAF offering provided by Signature at its LAX location includes 30 percent of Neste MY SAF and 70 percent conventional jet fuel, enabling partners to achieve a 24 percent decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from air travel. SAF is approved for use blended up to 50 percent with conventional jet fuel.

Neste’s SAF is made from sustainably sourced, 100 percent renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. 

Signature and Neste have been in a partnership since 2020 designed to help accelerate the industry’s adoption of SAF. Signature plans to expand the availability of Neste MY SAF to the rest of its California locations. Neste is expanding its SAF production capability to 515 million gallons of SAF annually in 2024 to meet the growing demand.

Signature said it recently passed the 30 million-gallon mark in terms of total SAF delivered throughout its network, describing it as a substantial leap toward reducing carbon emissions and helping the aviation industry reach net zero by 2050.

• READ MORE: Business Aviation Industry Groups Aim to Speed Adoption of SAF

“We are proud to continue expanding our collaboration with committed partners like Signature Aviation, who recognize the key role sustainable aviation fuel can play in reducing GHG emissions from air travel,” said Carrie Song, senior vice president of commercial renewable products at Neste. “Offering blended Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to all of its customers at LAX is a shining example of how the business aviation community can work together with fuel producers to accelerate SAF adoption and emission reductions.”

The transition to SAF at KLAX was completed on April 1. It is the second location on the West Coast to offer the more environmentally friendly fuel. The first Signature location to provide SAF was San Francisco International Airport (KSFO).

In addition, the growth in SAF availability at Signature LAX will also expand the location’s role as a key component in Signature’s book-and-claim program. Under the program, travelers and operators are able to purchase SAF in areas where it isn’t physically available.

“When an operator utilizes book and claim, they are able to claim the environmental benefit, while the physical SAF is provided for different aircraft at Signature LAX,” Signature said.

The post Signature Aviation Pumping Blended SAF at LAX Terminal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The purchase marks Boeing’s largest annual SAF purchase to date, 60 percent more than in 2023, Neste said.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is essential to decarbonize aviation,” Ryan Faucett, vice president of environmental sustainability at Boeing, said in a statement. “About 20 percent of our fuel usage is a SAF blend, and we continue to increase our use of this fuel to encourage growth in the SAF industry. We are also working to make SAF more available and affordable to our commercial airline customers through collaboration, investment, research, and policy development.”

• READ MORE: Business Aviation Industry Groups Aim to Speed Adoption of SAF

SAF is a renewable aviation fuel consisting of 30 percent renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as fats, oils, and greases used in cooking, which is blended with 70 percent conventional jet fuel. 

According to Neste, the use of SAF reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent over the fuel’s life cycle, compared to using conventional jet fuel.

The total volume of blended SAF purchased will be supplied to Boeing’s commercial operations directly or through a book-and-claim system, according to the company. Four million gallons of blended SAF are destined for Boeing fuel farms in the Pacific Northwest. EPIC Fuels, a Signature Aviation company, will supply 2.5 million gallons and Avfuel will provide 1.5 million gallons of blended SAF from Neste. 

This latest order will be used to support the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program and Boeing’s U.S. commercial operational flights through 2024.

Boeing will also purchase SAF certificates corresponding to the emission reduction provided by the use of 3.5 million gallons of Neste-produced blended SAF produced through a book-and-claim system.

• READ MORE: Jet Aviation Signs Deal with World Fuel Services to Sell SAF at 2 More FBOs

Book and Claim 

Book and claim is an accounting process in which a company purchases SAF certificates to displace conventional jet fuel. Instead of putting the fuel into a Boeing fuel farm, distributors will deliver it to nearby airports for use by airlines and other carriers, ensuring the corresponding SAF use and related greenhouse gas emission reductions.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is a key lever to reduce aviation emissions,” said Carrie Song, senior vice president of commercial renewable products at Neste. “Working together with aviation sector leaders like Boeing is crucial in accelerating SAF usage and production.”

The post Boeing Ready to Buy 7.5 Million Gallons of SAF appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The firm on Thursday announced a formal partnership with Signature Aviation, a FBO network for business and private aviation, to install systems at three East Coast airports, with discussions underway to include additional locations.

The first multimodal Beta charger is already installed and online at Signature’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (KMHT) terminal in New Hampshire, which the company said is the state’s first such system.

“Manchester is emerging as one of the top high-tech hubs in the Northeast, and we are honored that Manchester-Boston Regional Airport was chosen as Signature and BETA’s first operational electric aviation site,” said KMHT director Ted Kitchens. “This interoperable charging station will help enable Manchester and southern New Hampshire to have better access to electric aviation, which will bring us better regional air mobility as we move into this exciting new era of electric transportation.”

Additional chargers—which Beta said will come online this summer—are being installed on Signature terminals at Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK) in Maryland and Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (KCHO) in Virgina.

“As one of the leading private terminal operators anywhere in the world, Signature takes a forward-leaning approach to best serve their broad base of aviators,” said Nate Ward, head of network development for Beta. “Beta has long been focused on building a reliable, accessible network of chargers for aircraft, and this collaboration represents another important pathway toward scaling our network.”

Beta’s chargers are designed to be multimodal and interoperable, accessible to the company’s aircraft, other developers’ electric models, or any electric air or ground vehicle.

The systems adhere to the international combined charging system (CCS) standard, which has also been proposed as the standard for electric ground vehicles. In September, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) endorsed the CCS alongside Beta, Archer Aviation, Lilium, Volocopter, Overair, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, and several other electric air taxi manufacturers.

Joby Aviation, one of Beta’s U.S. competitors, has proposed its own charging standard—the global electric aviation charging system (GEACS)—which it touts as an alternative to the CCS. In the electric ground vehicle space, Tesla’s North American charging system (NACS) is gradually supplanting the CCS as the industry standard. But Beta and others are pushing for the latter to become the norm in aviation.

Signature is Beta’s third FBO partner. The partnership follows a deal with Atlantic Aviation to install systems at New York’s Elmira Regional Airport (KELM), Birmingham International Airport (KBHM) in Alabama, Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (KJAN) in Mississippi, and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (KBAF) in Massachusetts. The Elmira site is already online.

Beta in February also partnered with FBO network AvFlight to inaugurate an electric aircraft charger at Golden Triangle Regional Airport (KGTR) in Columbus, Mississippi. The partners said it was the first such system to be installed in the state.

Now Signature, which bills itself as world’s largest private aviation terminal operator, is getting in on the action.

“We are thrilled to further solidify our partnership with Beta, which underscores our unwavering commitment to shaping the future of aviation through our sustainability initiatives in Signature Renew,” said Derek DeCross, chief commercial officer for Signature Aviation. “Together with Beta, we’re not only creating greater access to electric aviation but also unlocking new possibilities in regional air mobility for our guests, all while championing sustainability and innovation in the aviation industry.”

Signature earlier this week rebranded to emphasize its focus on aviation hospitality, customer experience, and sustainability. The firm achieved carbon neutrality across its entire global network in 2022 and last year said it pumped its 25th million gallon of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The company’s three East Coast sites now join Beta’s U.S. charging network, which spans the coast from Vermont to Florida and extends as far west as Arkansas. Chargers have now been installed at 19 locations, with another 50 sites in the permitting or construction process, Beta said Thursday.

Within the manufacturer’s network is the first electric aircraft charger installed at a Department of Defense (DOD) base. Customers include the DOD, regional and state-owned airports, FBOs, and even other electric aircraft developers.

Beta is already using the sites to charge its all-electric aircraft. It stopped at several charging stations in October during a 12-state, 1,500 nm journey to Eglin Air Force Base’s Duke Field (KEGI) in Florida, where it recently concluded an initial three-month deployment for the U.S. Air Force.

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The Orlando, Florida-headquartered company said it is supporting government and law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporate groups in their efforts to detect, track, and curb human trafficking. The announcement coincides with the annual increase in public awareness of private aviation that occurs as people travel to Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday in Las Vegas in personal, corporate, and charter aircraft.

“Signature is the largest network of private aviation terminals in the world, which gives us a unique opportunity to help combat human trafficking,” said Tony Lefebvre, CEO of Signature. “The International Organization for Migration has stated that nearly 80 percent of international human trafficking journeys cross through official border control points, including airports. That makes this an incredibly important and relevant issue for us, and one where we have the ability to make a tangible difference.”

The company said its collaboration efforts include signing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pledge for Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking, a program under which transport organizations work to increase awareness and educate their employees about the pervasive crime. Signature also joined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Blue Lightning Initiative for training aviation personnel to identify possible traffickers and their victims.

Signature became a corporate sponsor of nonprofit Covenant House, which provides support for young people facing crises including the effects of human trafficking. The company is also sponsoring the Freedom Aviation Network, a nonprofit that provides air transportation for survivors of human trafficking. The group has made 85 flights and transported more than 100 passengers since 2022.

Signature is also partnering with the American Association of Airport Executives to develop training programs to address human trafficking tailored to those working in general and business aviation.

“Private aviation operators are on the frontlines of the fight to end human trafficking,” said Michael Camal, senior engagement manager with the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking. “We are grateful that Signature is leveraging its vast resources and global workforce to combat this heinous crime.”

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