Commercial, Sourcing Renewables - December 20, 2022
Virgin Atlantic to Fly Net Zero Transatlantic Flight
The first global net zero transatlantic flight will take off from the UK in 2023 with Virgin Atlantic set to fly one of its Boeing 787 aircraft from London to New York using only sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The airline received UK government funding for the flight to show how SAF could replace conventional jet fuel. The flight includes a consortium that includes Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, RMI, and ICF. When fully replacing kerosene, SAF can slash lifecycle carbon emissions by more than 70%, compared to conventional fossil jet fuel.
Virgin Atlantic’s flight is expected to be fuelled by SAF made primarily from waste oils and fats, such as used cooking oil. The use of 100% SAF on the flight, combined with carbon removal through biochar credits – a material that traps and stores carbon taken from the atmosphere – will make the flight net zero.
“As an airline founded on and committed to innovation, we’re proud to lead a cross industry consortium of partners to make aviation history by operating the first ever 100% SAF flight across the Atlantic,” said Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic CEO, in a statement. “This challenge recognises the critical role that SAF has to play in decarbonising aviation and the urgent collective action needed to scale production and use of SAF globally. The research and results will be a huge step in fast tracking SAF use across the aviation industry and support the investment, collaboration and urgency needed to produce SAF at scale. Our collective ambition of Net Zero by 2050 depends on it.”
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