Virgin Atlantic to launch first transatlantic net zero flight
The first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic powered only by sustainable aviation fuel will take off next year, a milestone the industry hopes will encourage greater investment in the new technology. The use of the fuel would mean that the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 test flight between Heathrow, London, and John F Kennedy airport, New York, would be the first transatlantic flight to achieve net zero emissions, the UK government said. Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF, are not fossil fuel based and are largely made from forestry or agricultural waste. Use of these fuels can reduce carbon emissions by about 70%. For Virgin’s flight to achieve “net zero” status, the remaining 30% of the emissions would be offset by an investment in carbon removal technology, the UK government said. Safety regulators only allow a maximum of 50% SAF blended with kerosene to be used in commercial jet engines, but the UK’s transport minister Baroness Vere said the flight would demonstrate that it was safe to fully power a passenger aircraft with the new fuels. Aviation is relying almost entirely on SAFs to cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, given that other cleaner technology such as electric or hydrogen powered aircraft are still unproven at scale. The fuels are significantly more expensive than traditional kerosene, however, and are still only produced in tiny amounts. The industry estimates that about 450b litres a year of SAF will be needed by 2050. Annual SAF production in 2021 was only 100m litres. The UK put a symbolic GBP1m towards supporting the Virgin flight, and has pledged GBP165m to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF plants. It has also set a mandate that 10% of jet fuel comes from sustainable sources by 2030, to help stimulate demand.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-12-19/unaligned/virgin-atlantic-to-launch-first-transatlantic-net-zero-flight
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Virgin Atlantic to launch first transatlantic net zero flight
The first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic powered only by sustainable aviation fuel will take off next year, a milestone the industry hopes will encourage greater investment in the new technology. The use of the fuel would mean that the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 test flight between Heathrow, London, and John F Kennedy airport, New York, would be the first transatlantic flight to achieve net zero emissions, the UK government said. Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF, are not fossil fuel based and are largely made from forestry or agricultural waste. Use of these fuels can reduce carbon emissions by about 70%. For Virgin’s flight to achieve “net zero” status, the remaining 30% of the emissions would be offset by an investment in carbon removal technology, the UK government said. Safety regulators only allow a maximum of 50% SAF blended with kerosene to be used in commercial jet engines, but the UK’s transport minister Baroness Vere said the flight would demonstrate that it was safe to fully power a passenger aircraft with the new fuels. Aviation is relying almost entirely on SAFs to cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, given that other cleaner technology such as electric or hydrogen powered aircraft are still unproven at scale. The fuels are significantly more expensive than traditional kerosene, however, and are still only produced in tiny amounts. The industry estimates that about 450b litres a year of SAF will be needed by 2050. Annual SAF production in 2021 was only 100m litres. The UK put a symbolic GBP1m towards supporting the Virgin flight, and has pledged GBP165m to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF plants. It has also set a mandate that 10% of jet fuel comes from sustainable sources by 2030, to help stimulate demand.<br/>
