South African Airways and Mango recently operated Africa’s first passenger flights powered in part by sustainable aviation fuel. The flights, timed with Boeing’s 100th anniversary, carried 300 passengers from Johannesburg (JNB) to Cape Town (CPT) aboard Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The aircraft used a blended fuel that included 30% biofuel produced from a nicotine-free tobacco plant.
“SAA is committed to a sustainable future and this flight highlights the bold steps we are taking to protect and preserve our environment while creating opportunities for the economic development of our people. We are pleased to join the ranks of global airlines who have made a commitment to a better and cleaner way of flying,” said Musa Zwane, CEO of South African Airways.
“It is fitting that on our 100-year anniversary we are flying on fuels that not only power the flight, but ensure a sustainable future for our industry. This project is a great example of environmental stewardship that delivers economic and health benefits to South Africa,” said Miguel Santos, managing director for Africa, Boeing International.
The milestone builds on a multi-year partnership between Boeing and SAA. Three years ago the two organizations began collaborating on sustainable aviation fuel, and two years later Project Solar demonstrated conversion of plant seed oil into bio-jet fuel. For these flights, the biofuel was sourced from a certified sustainable farm in South Africa.
As part of ongoing efforts, the partners launched a new initiative last month aimed at developing a long-term domestic supply of sustainable fuel to serve SAA and other regional operators. Establishing a local supply chain is expected to increase energy security, lower lifecycle carbon emissions, and support job creation in agricultural and processing sectors.
Using tobacco-derived biofuel addresses several sustainability goals: it makes use of a non-food crop, supports land use that avoids competition with food production, and can be cultivated on marginal land where other crops may not thrive. When blended with conventional jet fuel, certified bio-jet fuels reduce net carbon emissions over their lifecycle compared with fossil jet fuel, helping airlines meet evolving environmental regulations and corporate commitments.
The flights also demonstrate how industry collaboration — between airlines, manufacturers and local producers — can accelerate adoption of alternative fuels. Continued testing, certification and scaling of sustainable aviation fuel will be essential to expand availability and reduce costs so that more flights can benefit from lower-carbon fuel blends.
The program emphasizes transparency and sustainability standards: feedstocks were sourced from recognized sustainable farms and processed under established protocols to ensure environmental and social safeguards. Project stakeholders say further steps will include expanding feedstock cultivation, improving processing capacity, and exploring complementary technologies to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint.