Kenya Airways used a blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for a Boeing 787-8 flight from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International airport to Amsterdam Schiphol on 25 May. For the flight JetA1 fuel was mixed with Eni Biojet, produced in the Eni's Livorno refinery from distilled bio-components. The SAF contains 100% biogenic feedstock and is suitable for use with up to 50% JetA1 fuel. "The data and insights generated from the pilot flight will be valuable to inform policy decisions, regulatory frameworks, and industry best practices related to SAF. This will be a significant milestone for Kenya Airways and the broader African aviation industry,” says Kenya Airways chief executive Allan Kilavuka. Eni and Kenya Airways are working on a broader agreement for long-term collaboration, while the petroleum company is developing a supply chain of used cooking oil in Kenya as a feedstock for future biofuels production.

China Eastern Airlines appears set to put its first Comac C919 into revenue service on 28 May. The airline's booking app show that the aircraft has been scheduled to operate flight MU919, which departs from Shanghai Hongqiao International airport at 10:45 CST, and lands at Beijing Capital International airport at 13:10. China Eastern took delivery of the first C919, registered B-919A (MSN 00007) at Shanghai Pudong airport in December, and flight tracking data shows that since then it has made a number of flights within China, likely on training and familiarisation missions. The C919 is configured with eight business and 156 economy seats, fleets data shows, and is the first of 10 of the type that China Eastern has ordered. Comac has a further 662 C919s on order and a further 658 under letters of intent from 31 operators and leasing companies. CCB Financial Leasing is the largest client to date, with 100 C919s on order, while Hainan Airlines is the largest airline customer, with 80 aircraft on order.

Italian flag carrier ITA Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A330-900 from the European airframer via an aircraft deal with Air Lease Corporation. The long-haul twinjet (registered EI-HJN) will join ITA's fleet in June, the airline says. It has been configured with 30 lie-flat Thompson Vantage XL business, 24 premium economy and 237 standard coach seats. Thirty-six of the coach seats are in what the airline terms a "comfort economy" layout. Safran has supplied the aircraft's premium and standard economy seats. The airline has selected the French aerospace group's Rave inflight entertainment and connectivity system for the widebody. Fleets data shows ITA has another 16 A330-900s on order. Its fleet currently comprises four A220-300s, 52 A320-family jets, eight A330-200s, six A350-900s, three Bombardier-built CRJ1000s and two Embraer 190s. All A330neos are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000s. Rome-based ITA notes that its first A330-900 will be powered by a 16% sustainable aviation fuel blend on the delivery flight from Airbus's assembly line in Toulouse.