The world’s first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel saved 95 tons of carbon dioxide, the results show.
Results of the Flight100 project, under guidance Virgin Atlantic and including a consortium of experts from Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, BP and others, show that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) it is safe to use with existing infrastructure and can significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
SAFs are fuels derived from non-petroleum renewable sources, such as used cooking fats or vegetable matter, which can be substituted or blended with fossil fuels.
Impact on the environment and air quality
A test flight last November, connecting London Heathrow to New York’s JFK, also showed that SAF can improve local air quality, help reduce the formation of persistent contrails and reduce fuel consumption.
Crucially, the Flight100 project required no changes to the engineaircraft structure or fuel infrastructure, while respecting safety standards equal to those of any other commercial flight.
Researchers from Imperial and Sheffield led the scientific work to assess the climate effects of flying, and the Imperial team confirmed that SAF reduces particulate emissions.
The project was part-funded by the Department for Transport and made possible by the support of multi-jurisdictional aviation authorities, led by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Dr. Marc Stettler, from the Department of civil engineering and Environment, who led the Imperial research team for the project, said: “Flight100 was a unique opportunity to learn and demonstrate that SAF can be used on a large scale. It was a true collaboration, and through the project we built relationships that allow us to continue to advance the science and translate that scientific understanding into operations. Flight100 should be used as an incentive to accelerate the deployment of the SAF and other actions to mitigate aviation’s climate impact.»
“The UK government recently committed to achieving at least 10% SAF in the UK aviation fuel mix by 2030. While this is a promising step, our research suggests that we could also significantly reduce footprint effects by intelligently allocating this fuel to flights likely to that it will have a significant impact on global warming.»
A safe substitute for fossil fuels
The test results showed that using a 100% SAF flight saved 95 tonnes of CO2, or 64% of the emissions of a standard flight between London Heathrow and New York JFK.
It also resulted in a 40% reduction in non-CO2 emissions and an improvement in the fuel’s overall combustion efficiency, meaning the fuel produced 1% more energy compared to the same amount of fossil fuel. This improvement means that SAF could potentially reduce the amount of fuel needed for flights, with the benefits it offers for the environment.
However, there is still work to be done to produce enough SAF for regular long-haul flights. Following the successful test flight, Virgin Atlantic called on the industry to continue to work together to ensure aviation uses SAF on all flights worldwide and for further support from the UK Government to create a FAS industry in the UK.
Shai Weiss, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic, concluded: “Flight100 proves that SAF reduces CO2 and can be used at 100%, with benefits in energy efficiency and local air quality. SAF is the only medium-term solution to reducing our carbon emissions, but to meet our 10% target by 2030, we need to increase current UK SAF production by 60 times. The government must step in to support by attracting private investment and implementing its Jet Zero policy. Flight100 proves that if enough SAF is produced we will use it.»
Find out more: https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/content/dam/sustainability/Flight100-Executive-Summary.pdf