Virgin Atlantic Completes Transatlantic Flight Using 100% SAF

British airline successfully flew from London to New York on sustainable aviation fuel

Image: Mindaugas Dulinskas, Adobe Stock

Virgin Atlantic Airlines flew the world’s first commercial flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel today. The flight, which was not carrying paying passengers, departed London Heathrow at 11:30 a.m. GMT and landed at New York’s JFK at 2:13p.m. EST.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, SAF is made from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks, including the food and yard waste portion of municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils, and other feedstocks. They say that SAF could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94% compared to traditional jet fuel. This is an exciting statistic for those wanting to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible for the sake of the planet. However, U.K.’s Aviation Environment Federation is skeptical about the real benefits of SAF and notes in a summary of their comprehensive report on the fuel that “at the moment there is a risk of greenwash in public discussion, and of goal-setting at a political level that isn’t based on the right information.” Plus, Virgin Atlantic’s goal is to use SAF in just 10% of flights by 2030.

Until there is a better solution, conscious athletes have been forgoing air travel to minimize their environmental impact. For instance, Great Britain’s Innes FitzGerald pledged not to travel to Australia to compete due to climate concerns, and the Kilian Jornet Foundation recommends forgoing air travel when possible. 

While air travel might make up a lot of a person’s individual carbon emissions, aviation accounted for just 2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).