Virgin Atlantic completed the first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on Tuesday with a Boeing 787 flying from London Heathrow to New York JFK on Flight 100. The fuel, made from waste products, delivers CO2 lifecycle emissions savings of up to 70%, according to an announcement, while performing like the traditional jet fuel it replaces.

SAF, according to the announcement, represents less than 0.1% of global jet fuel volumes, and fuel standards allow for just a 50% SAF blend in commercial jet engines. Flight100, said the announcement, will prove that the challenge of scaling up production is one of policy and investment, and industry and government must move quickly to create a thriving SAF industry.

In addition to proving the capabilities of SAF, said the announcement, Flight100 will be used to assess how its use affects the flight’s non-carbon emissions. The research will improve scientific understanding of the effects of SAF on contrails and particulates and help to implement contrail forecasts in the flight planning process.
Shai Weiss, CEO, said that Flight100 proves that SAF “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.” It’s taken “radical collaboration” to get here, he said, “and we’re proud to have reached this important milestone, but we need to push further.”

Weiss continued that there’s simply not enough SAF, and it’s clear that in order to reach production at scale, significantly more investment is needed. This will only happen, he said, when regulatory certainty and price support mechanisms, backed by government, are in place. He added, “Flight100 proves that if you make it, we’ll fly it.”

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