Virgin Atlantic announced the release of results from Flight100, the first ever transatlantic flight by a commercial airline using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), including revealing that the use of SAF reduced CO2 emissions by 64%.

Virgin Atlantic conducted the flight in November, as part of a consortium that included Rolls Royce, Boeing, University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, ICF and Rocky Mountain Institute, with the initiative supported by funding by the UK Government’s Department for Transport. The flight followed a pledge made in 2022 by the UK government to deliver the first-ever net-zero emissions transatlantic flight, powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2023.

The flight originated in London’s Heathrow Airport, and landed at JFK Airport, and was conducted on a Boeing 787 using Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. The SAF for the flight was a blend of 88% Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), which utilizes waste fats, oils, and greases as feedstock, supplied by AirBP and 12% synthetic aromatic kerosene (SAK), derived from plant sugars, supplied by Marathon Petroleum subsidiary Virent.

Notably, the flight did not require any changes to engine, airframe or fuel infrastructure, and operated on safety standards equivalent to every other commercial flight.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said:

“Flight100 was more than a year in the making, demonstrating that together we can achieve more than we can alone. Virgin Atlantic is committed to finding new solutions, leading efforts to decarbonise our industry and to share any learnings or innovations. This approach underpins Flight100. 

“We have demonstrated that it can be done – SAF is a safe drop in replacement for fossil fuel and can be used with today’s infrastructure.”

Key results released by the airline included findings that the flight saved the lifecycle equivalent of 95 tonnes of CO2 through the use of SAF, or a 64% reduction compared to a standard flight from London to New York, as well as a 40% reduction in non-CO2 particulate emissions, suggesting that SAF use could have a material impact on improving local air quality at airports as well as on reducing the formation of persistent contrails. The flight also demonstrated the higher energy density of SAF, with the SAF used producing 1% more energy compared to the same mass of fossil fuel. Additionally, the flight demonstrated the benefits of efficiency initiatives including direct routing and reduced taxi time, which resulted in 2.2 tonnes of jet fuel savings.

Virgin Atlantic Founder Sir Richard Branson said:

“Proving that 100% SAF is operationally achievable today, with equivalent safety standards to all our other flights, was a pivotal moment but not a silver bullet. There is more work ahead to scale SAF at pace and whilst we cannot solve that challenge alone, Virgin Atlantic is committed to being at the forefront of the monumental effort required to decarbonise long haul flight.”