Virgin Atlantic just became the first airline to power a transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel.The Boeing 787 passenger jet – dubbed Flight 100 – left London’s Heathrow Airport Tuesday morning bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, with Virgin Atlantic billionaire founder Richard Branson,
Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Shai Weiss, and U.K. Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper on board
The flight marks the first time a commercial long-haul flight was powered using only sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It’s scheduled to land at JFK at 2:40 p.m. EST.
The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority granted permission for Virgin Atlantic and its partners, including Rolls-Royce, Boeing and BP, to fly using only SAF following a series of technical reviews last year.
“Flight 100 proves that Sustainable Aviation Fuel can be used as a safe, drop-in replacement for fossil-derived jet fuel and it’s the only viable solution for decarbonizing long haul aviation,” Virgin Atlantic’s Weiss said in a statement.
“It’s taken radical collaboration to get here and we’re proud to have reached this important milestone, but we need to push further.”
The fuel used for Tuesday’s flight was a blend of mostly processed cooking oil and waste animal fat, according to Virgin Atlantic. The fuel also contained 12% synthetic aromatic kerosene that was made from waste corn.
