The fuel is made from fat waste and waste from corn production, but it is hardly a miracle solution to aviation emissions.
The first flight using only renewable fuels to cross the Atlantic Ocean is set to take off on Tuesday, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC.
Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787 flying from New York to London today has been refueled with 50 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The substance in question is made from fat waste and waste from corn production in the United States.
– This is not an emission-free flight, but it definitely shows that we have a lot of opportunities to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of flights, says Virgin Atlantic’s director of development Holly Boyd-Boland For Sky News.
Sustainable jet fuels still cause emissions, but the fuel industry claims they can emit up to 70 percent less than conventional jet fuels. The sustainable aviation fuel SAF now used in the plane does not require special equipment or changes to the plane.
At the moment, only small quantities of this sustainable jet fuel are produced and its costs are up to five times higher than regular jet fuel.
Airlines see the first flight as a significant milestone, but experts are not yet quite as impressed. According to experts, renewable jet fuels are not a “miracle solution” for reducing emissions caused by air traffic.
The UK is planning requirements for 10 percent of aviation fuel to be sustainable fuels by 2030.