LONDON, Dec 16 — British airline Virgin Atlantic will operate the world’s first “net zero” transatlantic flight, the German Press Agency (dpa) quoted Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT).
The airline has secured £1 million (US$1.2 million) of government funding to fly a Boeing 787 jet from London Heathrow to New York JFK next year using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) instead of kerosene.
Virgin Atlantic and its partners are putting in similar funding.
The SAF is expected to be produced primarily from waste oil and fats, such as used cooking oil.
SAF reduces carbon emissions by more than 70 per cent compared with kerosene.
The use of SAF combined with carbon removal credits will make the flight “net zero,” according to the DfT.
Commercial flights can currently only use SAF if it is blended with standard aviation fuel at up to 50 per cent.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss said, “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.”
The flight is likely to take place towards the end of 2023 with no fare-paying passengers on board.
— Bernama
