Net zero Virgin

Virgin Atlantic is to make a transatlantic flight later this year using a Boeing 787 powered solely by sustainable fuel under a UK government-funded initiative.

The aircraft will operate from Heathrow to New York JFK, a service which the Government is billing as the world’s first net-zero transatlantic flight.

Powering the aircraft will be a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 equipped airframe, the engine manufacturer is part of a consortium associated with the flight, along with Boeing, Pratt & Whitney Canada and a number of universities and institutes.

The flight will use sustainable fuel sourced mainly from waste oil and fats, with the net-zero target achieved with supplementary use of biochar credits. Biochar is a carbon-ash material which can be used for carbon-capture.

“This challenge recognises the critical role that [sustainable fuel] has to play in decarbonising aviation and the urgent collective action needed to scale production,” says Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic.  “The research and results will be a huge step in fast-tracking [sustainable fuel] use across the aviation industry.”

Currently aircraft are certified to use a maximum 50% blend of conventional and sustainable fuel.  However, fuel for the 787 flight will be entirely sustainable, demonstrating the potential for decarbonising long-haul sectors.

Rachael Everard, Head of Sustainability, Rolls-Royce, says that the company aims to have proven that its entire Trent and business-jet engine lines can be flown with 100% sustainable fuel by the end of next year.

Virgin Atlantic’s consortium for the net-zero flight includes Imperial College London, the University of Sheffield, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and ICF, the US-based international aviation consulting company.

www.virginatlantic.com

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