The Virgin Atlantic company plans to carry out a flight between London Heathrow and New York JFK on November 28, with a Boeing 787-9 powered 100% with SAF and has just obtained authorization on the British side.
“Flight100”. This is the name of the 100% SAF transatlantic flight that Virgin Atlantic plans to operate between London-Heathrow and New York JFK on November 28. For this historic flight, the British company has just obtained a green light from the British Civil Aviation Authority. Obtaining this authorization is a big step taken to be able to operate the flight, but Virgin Atlantic will have to obtain overflight authorizations from the American FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), the Irish Aviation Authority and Transport Canada.
70 to 80% CO2 emissions over the entire life cycle
Remember that for the moment the authorized carriage limit of biofuel on a commercial airliner, and therefore requires mixing with conventional fuel. SAF (“sustainable aviation fuel”) is capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 to 80% over its entire life cycle compared to fossil kerosene.
A consortium also including Boeing, Rolls-Royce and BP
The authorization issued by the Civil Aviation Authority follows a program of technical examinations carried out by the regulator, which analyzed various aspects of the flight project, including in particular a test carried out on the ground with Rolls Royce by operating a Trent 1000 engine with 100 % of SAF. The preparation of the flight, led by Virgin Atlantic, mobilizes a consortium of companies including Boeing, Rolls-Royce, and BP in particular, which aims to strengthen the SAF as a real alternative to fossil fuel. The Civil Aviation Authority has worked very closely with the consortium companies and will continue to work with the airline industry to learn more about the performance and impact of the SAF. Virgin Atlantic has won a grant of 1 million pounds sterling (nearly 1,150,000 euros), following a competition launched by the British Department for Transport to help the airline sector achieve the first transatlantic flight with a 100% powered aircraft. with FAS.
