Virgin Atlantic completes Flight100 – world’s first 100% SAF transatlantic flight

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have a significant role to play in the decarbonization of long-haul aviation, and the pathway to Net Zero 2050.

The fuel, made from waste products, delivers carbon dioxide (CO₂) lifecycle emissions savings of up to 70 percent, whilst performing like the traditional jet fuel it replaces.

While other technologies such as electric and hydrogen remain decades away, SAF can be used now.

Study non-carbon emissions

Currently, SAF represents less than 0.1 percent of global jet fuel volumes, and fuel standards allow for up to a 50 percent SAF blend in commercial jet engines.

Flight100 aims to 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 UK SAF industry.

Today’s historic flight, powered by 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel, shows how we can both decarbonize transport and enable passengers to keep flying when and where they want. This Government has backed today’s flight to take-off and we will continue to support the UK’s emerging SAF industry as it creates jobs, grows the economy, and gets us to Jet Zero, said Transport Secretary Mark Harper.

As well as proving the capabilities of SAF, Flight100 will assess how its use affects the flight’s non-carbon emissions with the support of consortium partners ICF, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Imperial College London, and the University of Sheffield.

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.

Data and research will be shared with industry, and Virgin Atlantic will continue its involvement with contrail work through RMI’s Climate Impact Task Force, which is part-funded by Virgin Unite.

In 2008 Virgin Atlantic and Boeing completed the first commercial SAF test flight on a 747 and today we will accomplish yet another significant milestone utilizing a 787 Dreamliner. This flight is a key step toward our commitment to deliver 100 percent SAF-compatible airplanes by 2030. As we work toward the civil aviation industry’s net-zero goal, today’s historic journey highlights what we can achieve together, said Sheila Remes, VP of Environmental Sustainability, Boeing.

Unique SAF blend

The SAF used on Flight100 is a unique dual blend comprised of 88 percent HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) supplied by Air bp and 12 percent “BioForm” SAK (Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene) supplied by Virent, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC).

SAK is needed in 100 percent SAF blends to give the fuel the required aromatics for engine function.

The HEFA is made from waste fats and used cooking oils (UCO) while the BioFrom SAK is made from plant sugars, with the remainder of plant proteins, oil, and fibres continuing into the food chain.

Virent used its “BioForming” process to produce the BioForm SAK.

For Virent, the Flight100 came just one week after another aviation first, when Virent’s BioForm SAK helped power an Emirates Airline demonstration flight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first such flight of an Airbus 380 in the Middle East and North Africa to fuel one of its engines with 100 percent SAF.

This is an exciting time for the aviation industry, and Virent is proud that its BioForm SAK can play such a prominent role in enabling 100 percent drop-in sustainable aviation fuel. By eliminating the need to blend with traditional jet fuel, our bio-based aromatics bring sustainable air travel closer not just by reducing carbon emissions, but also reducing particulate matter emissions and enhancing fuel efficiency, said Dave Kettner, President and General Counsel of Virent.

We are incredibly proud that our Trent 1000 engines are powering the first-ever widebody flight using 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel across the Atlantic today. Rolls-Royce has recently completed compatibility testing of 100 percent SAF on all our in-production civil aero engine types and this is further proof that there are no engine technology barriers to the use of 100 percent SAF. The flight represents a major milestone for the entire aviation industry in its journey towards net zero carbon emissions, commented Simon Burr, Group Director of Engineering, Technology & Safety, Rolls-Royce.

Both innovation and investment are needed

According to Virgin Atlantic, to achieve Net Zero 2050, the innovation and investment needed across all available feedstocks and technologies must be harnessed to maximize SAF volumes.

At the same time, continue the research and development needed to bring new zero-emission aircraft to market.

Virgin Atlantic says that it is committed to finding more sustainable ways to fly, taking action across every part of the journey.

Already operating one of the youngest and most fuel and carbon-efficient fleets in the sky, Flight100 builds on the airline’s 15-year track record for leading the development of SAF at scale.

Collectively, industry and government must go further, to create a UK SAF industry and meet aviation’s 10 percent SAF by 2030 target, capitalizing on the significant social and economic benefits it will bring – an estimated contribution of £1.8 billion in Gross Value Added to the UK and more than 10,000 jobs.

Flight100 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. It’s taken radical collaboration to get here and we’re proud to have reached this important milestone, but we need to push further. There’s simply not enough SAF and it’s clear that in order to reach production at scale, we need to see significantly more investment. This will only happen when regulatory certainty and price support mechanisms, backed by the Government, are in place. Flight100 proves that if you make it, we’ll fly it, said Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic.