Brussels Airport has completed its five-year Stargate sustainability programme by testing a mobile sustainable aviation fuel blending installation, a pilot designed to let airlines request higher SAF blends on site. The Brussels hub presented the trial as the first of its kind in Europe, linking the final phase of the EU-backed initiative to practical fuel logistics at the airport.
Stargate involved nearly 25 million euros in EU funding and about 30 projects across Brussels, Athens, Budapest and Toulouse over five years. The airport has used the programme to trial measures ranging from greener ground operations to SAF-related solutions, including work on a blending installation and associated fuel handling.
The mobile unit will be tested for several months and is intended to support customised SAF supply for carriers that want to cut emissions beyond the minimum blend currently required under European rules. Brussels Airport has also been in discussions with airlines over potential use of the system, which would deliver the mixed fuel by tanker truck to aircraft.