According to London-based media outlet Reuters, a Virgin Atlantic passenger jet recently finished a London-to-New York flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) fuel. This move showcases the potential of low-carbon options, which currently only make up a small portion of the aviation industry’s overall fuel mixture.
While this flight isn’t the first time the industry has demonstrated its commitment to reducing emissions, it is indeed a significant step forward. The flight had only a few passengers, including Virgin’s billionaire founder Richard Branson and a few others. Despite its historic nature, the jet will return to London using conventional jet fuel.
The aerospace industry is leaning on fuel made from waste to cut their emissions by up to 70%, but the high cost and limited supply of materials required to produce SAF make large-scale production an uphill challenge. Currently, SAF makes up less than 0.1% of the total global jet fuel being used today, and it costs three to five times as much as regular jet fuel.
This flight was operated by a Virgin Boeing 787 powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, marking the first instance of a commercial airliner flying long-haul on 100% SAF. However, the flight did not carry any paying passengers or cargo.
In London prior to takeoff, Branson emphasized the significant hurdles in making sustainable aviation fuel widely available, stating “It’s going to take a while before we can get enough fuel where everybody’s going to be able to fly. But you’ve got to start somewhere.” According to Reuters, the aviation industry currently accounts for an estimated 2-3% of global carbon emissions.
Commercial engines are not yet certified to fly on more than 50% SAF, and the vast majority of flights blend a much lower amount of SAF with traditional jet fuel. Following successful ground tests, Virgin and its partners have secured permission from U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Canadian, and UK regulators to fly using only SAF.
The flight took off from London’s Heathrow Airport and landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where it was met by U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. British transport minister Mark Harper also joined the flight, which landed 35 minutes ahead of schedule. Harper noted that the flight was uneventful and emphasized that the data collected from it would be crucial in furthering 100% SAF adoption.
The fuel used for this flight was primarily sourced from used cooking oil and waste animal fat, with a small amount of synthetic aromatic kerosene made from waste corn, as stated by Virgin Atlantic. The company hopes that this flight will highlight the necessity for financial support from governments to make SAF more readily available.
Advocacy group Stay Grounded criticized the flight as “a greenwashing distraction” and emphasized the urgency of reducing flights where possible to minimize the burning of fossil jet fuels.
In terms of industry challenges, a UK military version of the Airbus A330 airliner flew on SAF last December, fuel supplier Air bp said. Additionally, Emirates recently flew an A380 airplane using SAF for one of four engines. Many European airlines, including Virgin, British Airways, and Air France, have expressed their intent to use 10% SAF by 2030, aiming for a 65% share by 2050 to achieve the industry’s net-zero emissions goal.
Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic stated that SAF is the only medium-term solution to decarbonize commercial flights, but analysts are skeptical about meeting the 2030 target due to SAF’s small volumes and high costs. The head of IAG also warned that the industry was at over a 90% risk of not meeting the European Union mandate for SAF availability in 2025, emphasizing the lack of sufficient government support.
Virgin mentioned that the engines used for the SAF flight would be drained and tested before the jet returns to service using regular fuel.
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(Reporting by Sarah Young and Joanna Plucinska in LondonAdditional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Vin Shahrestani, Paul Sandle, Tim Hepher and Baranjot KaurEditing by Tomasz Janowski, Sharon Singleton, Matthew Lewis and Gerry Doyle)
