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
All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 200 words maximum
No one has commented yet, why don't you start the ball rolling?
Travel News Update
20 Lodge Close, Edgware HA8 4RL, United Kingdom
+44 (0)7973 210631
malcolm@ginsberg.co.uk
© 2023 Travel News Update Ltd