A passenger Virgin Atlantic's passenger plane will fly from London to New York on Tuesday using 100% safe aviation fuel (SAF). No passengers will be transported and no cargo on the flight will not be carried out - the airlines consider this flight primarily a demonstration that a more environmentally friendly way of flying is indeed possible. This was reported by BBC, UNN.
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Today, the British airline Virgin Atlantic airline Virgin Atlantic will make a transatlantic flight, which is fully powered by so-called environmentally friendly fuel. The flight will depart from London's Heathrow Airport at 13:30 (Ukrainian time) and should arrive at JFK in New York at 21:30.
The flight will take place as part of a campaign to demonstrate the potential of low-carbon options that should provide for future flights. It is also indicated that this flight will be the first commercial airline's long-haul flight that will be "100% to be powered by cleaner fuels on both engines," the Virgin's press release. At the same time, no passengers or cargo will be transported.
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Produced from waste oils, the from used oils, wood residues or algae, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can be used to fuels (SAFs) can be used to replace paraffin in modern aircraft. They are seen as a major lever for decarbonizing the sector over the decades to come, but their production is still in its infancy and is very expensive.
After conducting tests and analysis, the flight was approved by the British regulator, the Civil Aviation earlier this month. The Boeing 787 will be refueled with 50 tons of SAF: two types of fuel are used, 88% of of which is derived from waste fats and the rest from waste corn production in the U.S.
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The project involves a number of companies, including engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and energy giant BP. The airline industry hopes that the Virgin Atlantic flight flight will demonstrate to governments the need to provide financial support to make SAF more affordable.
At the same time, there is criticism from several non-governmental organizations. For example, the environmental environmental group Stay Grounded called the flight a "distraction from green impacts."
(Fuel substitutes) are not close to being scalable within the required timeframe to avoid climate collapse. What we urgently need is a reduction in the burning of fossil fuels, i.e. fewer flights wherever possible