LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Virgin Atlantic on Tuesday made a historic flight across the Atlantic marking the world's first flight on the route by a commercial airline using 100 percent green fuels.
The New York JFK-bound Boeing 787, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, took off from London's Heathrow airport Tuesday morning.
Shai Weiss, Chief Executive Officer of the British airline, said this pioneer flight proves Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a safe replacement for fossil derived jet fuel and the only mid-term viable solution for decarbonising long haul aviation.
The milestone flight, nicknamed Flight100, was the result of a year-long collaboration by a Virgin Atlantic-led consortium, including Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, ICF and Rocky Mountain Institute, in partnership with the U.K. Department for Transport.
SAF has a significant role to play in the decarbonisation of long haul aviation, and the global pathway to Net Zero 2050. The fuel, made from waste products, delivers CO2 lifecycle emissions savings of up to 70 percent, while performing like the traditional jet fuel.
But a lack of fuel supply remains a challenge, as SAF currently represents less than 0.1 percent of global jet fuel volumes and fuel standards allow for just a 50 percent SAF blend in commercial jet engines.
Flight100 will prove that the challenge of scaling up production is one of policy and investment, and industry and government must move quickly to create a thriving UK SAF industry, Virgin Atlantic said.
In addition, proving the capabilities of SAF, Flight100 will assess how its use affects the flight's non-carbon emissions with the support of consortium partners.
The SAF used on Flight100 is a unique dual blend; 88 percent HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) supplied by AirBP and 12 percent SAK (Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene) supplied by Virent, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation. The HEFA is made from waste fats while the SAK is made from plant sugars, with the remainder of plant proteins, oil and fibres continuing into the food chain.
Virgin Atlantic estimates that if the UK SAF industry, with the policy support of the government, meets a target of using aviation's 10 percent SAF by 2030, it will contribute an additional 1.8 billion pounds ($2.27 billion) in Gross Value to the UK and create more than 10,000 jobs.
U.K. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the historic flight has the backing of the government. 'We will continue to support the UK's emerging SAF industry as it creates jobs, grows the economy and gets us to Jet Zero.'
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