Virgin Atlantic makes first transatlantic flight with sustainable aviation fuel

Part-funded by the UK Department for Transport, Flight100 - a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 powered by Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines – represents a successful collaboration between the airline and project partners that include Sheffield University, Imperial College London, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and BP.

Virgin Atlantic said that Flight100 proves Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a safe drop-in replacement for fossil derived jet fuel and the only mid-term viable solution for decarbonising long-haul aviation.

“You can consider this a type of Moonshot flight,” said Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, managing director at Sheffield University’s Translational Energy Research Centre and Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC). “The overall aim is to show that it is possible to use SAF in existing engines.”

The SAF used on Flight100 was made up of 88 per cent HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) supplied by AirBP and 12 per cent SAK (Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene) supplied by Virent, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation. The HEFA is made from waste fats while the SAK is made from plant sugars.