At a historic event for aviation and sustainability The first transatlantic flight to run exclusively on sustainable fuel took off from London’s Heathrow Airport. Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner made history by using Saf (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) en route to New York’s JFK Airport. consists mainly of recycled cooking oil and vegetable products.
Previously, regulations limited airlines to using a maximum of 50% green fuel for their engines. However, This pioneering flight shows that it is possible to achieve 100% sustainability in aviation and represents a milestone in the industry.
Prominent figures on board the flight included Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, Transport Minister Mark Harper and Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss. Importantly, this flight did not carry paying passengers, highlighting the experimental and groundbreaking approach of this initiative.
The SAF is not only an ecological alternative, but is also seen as a real boon for the British economy. In a video shared on LinkedIn, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his excitement, saying that Saf would not only decarbonize aviation, but could also create a British industry worth around £2.5 billion a year, over Would create 5,000 jobs in the UK.
Sir Richard Branson shared his perspective and stated that innovation is about challenging conventional perceptions. “The world will always assume that something cannot be done until you do it. The spirit of innovation is about going out and proving that we can do things better for the benefit of everyone.”he claimed.
Before takeoff, Mark Harper, Transport Minister, stressed the importance of the flight using cooking oil as fuel, stating: “Today’s 100% Saf-powered flight demonstrates how we can decarbonize transportation now and in the future, reduce lifecycle emissions by 70% and inspire the next generation of solutions.”