Flight100 Saves 95 Metric Tonnes of CO₂

According to an 'executive summary' report published by Virgin Atlantic, the airline made public the findings from the world's first-ever transatlantic flight run on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Flight100. The flight saved 95 tonnes of emissions in comparison to its 'normal' fossil fuel-run counterparts.

The flight was flown out under the Flight100 Project, which was jointly run by experts from Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, Boeing, Rolls Royce, BP and various other organisations. The main aim of the programme was to showcase that Sustainable Aviation Fuel is “safe to use with existing infrastructure and can deliver significant reductions in CO₂ emissions.”

The results of the project state that the 100% usage of SAF in the trial flight led to 95 metric tonnes of CO₂ being saved. It also lessened the number of carbon emissions, in comparion to a regular flight, by 64%. A 40% reduction in particulates was noticed, and a 4.4% fuel reduction through operational efficiencies was achieved. The usage of the fuel also produced 1% more energy compared to the same flights that use fossil fuel, highlighting how SAF, if employed properly, will not only lead to lesser emissions and lesser fuels used, but will also offer slight environmental benefits. Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, said, "We have demonstrated that it can be done, 100% SAF flown under equivalent safety standards to every other commercial flight. No engine, airframe or fuel infrastructure modifications needed. Just 100% SAF as a full, drop-in replacement for fossil derived Jet A-1. Flight100 proves that SAF reduces CO₂ and can be used at 100%, with benefits in fuel efficiency and local air quality. SAF is the only mid-term solution to reduce our carbon emissions, but to meet our target of 10% by 2030, we need a scale up of 60x current UK SAF production. Government must step in to support by attracting private investment and deliver on its Jet Zero policy. Flight100 proves that if enough SAF is made, we will fly it.”

The primary trial flight in the months-long project was flown from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in November 2023. As a result, the project reported that airplanes running on Sustainable Aviation Fuel also have the potential to keep the local air quality clean along with reducing fuel usage. Sustainable Aviation Fuel is said to be a result of non-petroleum based renewable sources that hold the potential of replacing fossil fuels in various sectors.

Virgin Atlantic, in a bid to push the new project for the betterment of the environment as well as the society, also stated that the usage of Sustainable Aviation Fuel does not require any “engine, airframe, or fuel infrastructure changes” and can be operated as other regular flights. Talking about the results derived from the project, Dr Marc Stettler, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, stated, “Flight100 was a unique opportunity to learn and demonstrate that SAF can be used in high proportions. It was truly collaborative and, as a result of the project, we have established relationships through which we continue to advance science and translate that scientific understanding to operations. Flight100 Project must be used as the impetus for an acceleration of deployment of SAF and other actions to mitigate aviation’s climate effects. The UK government has recently committed to achieving at least 10% SAF in the UK aviation fuel mix by 2030. While this is a promising step, our research suggests that we could also significantly address the effects on contrails by intelligently allocating this fuel to flights that are likely to cause significant warming impacts.”