{"id":10535,"date":"2023-11-29T09:03:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T06:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=10535"},"modified":"2024-08-12T15:11:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T12:11:54","slug":"groundbreaking-transatlantic-flight-using-greener-fuel-lands-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=10535","title":{"rendered":"Groundbreaking transatlantic flight using greener fuel lands in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Air aviation news – The first transatlantic flight by a large passenger plane powered only by alternative fuels has landed in the US.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Operated by Virgin Atlantic, it flew from London’s Heathrow to New York’s JFK airport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Airlines see the flight, which is supported by government funding, as demonstrating that a greener way of flying is possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

But a lack of fuel supply remains a challenge, while other technology will be needed to hit emissions targets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The flight was a one-off of its kind so far, and is not carrying fare-paying passengers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The Conservative party’s Henry Smith was on board and\u00a0said\u00a0<\/a>that the flight was a “significant UK aviation achievement”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n

So-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can be made from a variety of sources, including crops, household waste and cooking oils.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

For this flight, a Boeing 787 was filled with 50 tonnes of SAF. Two types were used, with 88% derived from waste fats and the rest from the wastes of corn production in the US.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Following test and analysis, the flight was approved by UK regulator the Civil Aviation Authority earlier this month. A number of companies have been involved in the project including engine-maker Rolls-Royce and energy giant BP.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The aviation industry is particularly difficult to decarbonise, but airline bosses view SAF as the most effective tool available to help bring its net emissions down to zero.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

In a\u00a0post on X<\/a>, formerly Twitter, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed Virgin Atlantic’s achievement but his claim that the flight was “net zero” was criticised.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Planes still emit carbon when using SAF, but the industry says the “lifecycle emissions” of these fuels can be up to 70% lower.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said the airline’s flight on Tuesday was “proving… that fossil-derived fuel can be replaced by sustainable aviation fuel”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

“It’s really the only pathway to decarbonising long-haul aviation over and above having the youngest fleet in the sky,” he told the BBC’s Today programme. “It is a really momentous achievement.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

However, he said there was not enough SAF currently, and added that due to the fuel being more expensive, flight prices would end up being higher.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson admitted it was “going to take a while” before there was enough SAF for everybody to use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

“But you have to start somewhere,” he told the BBC. “And if we didn’t prove it can be done, you would never, ever get sustainable aviation fuel.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n