Virgin Atlantic will operate its first ever transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel.
Publish Time:
2024-10-11 11:32
Keywords:
Aviation,Fuel
Virgin Atlantic will operate the world's first transatlantic flight powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel(SAF)on the 28th,with Virgin founder Richard Branson and CEO Shai Weiss on board.
A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 aircraft,equipped with Rolls-Royce engines,will take off from London Heathrow Airport at noon local time on the 28th,carrying 99.99%SAF to New York's Kennedy Airport.There will be no paying passengers on board.
Virgin Atlantic says the fuel for this flight is primarily derived from used cooking oil and animal fats,blended with synthetic paraffinic kerosene made from discarded corn.Any remaining SAF after the flight will be drained,and the engines will revert to conventional fuel after testing.
Sustainable aviation fuel has previously been used in blends with traditional jet fuel.After successful ground tests,Virgin Atlantic,along with partners Rolls-Royce and Boeing,received permission for this fully SAF-powered flight.
According to Reuters,the aviation industry accounts for approximately 2%to 3%of global carbon emissions.SAF can reduce carbon emissions,but it is expensive and currently accounts for less than 0.1%of global aviation fuel consumption.
Virgin Atlantic,British Airways,Air France,and other European airlines have expressed their hope to increase the proportion of SAF in their aircraft fuel to 10%by 2030.However,to achieve the industry's net-zero emissions target by 2050,this proportion needs to increase to 65%.
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