Flight to sustainability

Sustainable aviation fuel has promise

The recent London-New York test flight of Virgin Atlantic is an important proof of concept for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A commercial, unmodified Boeing 787 made the 5,800-km flight using 100 per cent SAF. While jet engines are certified only to use a maximum of 50:50 mix of normal jet fuel and SAF, this flight received special clearance. If SAF procurement and production can be streamlined and scaled up to reduce costs, it would reduce emission considerably. Many Europe-based airlines are targeting a 10 per cent SAF fuel mix by 2030. This has to rise to about 65 per cent