Virgin’s 100% SAF flight hailed a success after landing at JFK

Virgin Atlantic’s historic flight on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) successfully landed at JFK in New York.
The flight carried Virgin's billionaire founder, Richard Branson, and a few others, and it later returned to London using conventional jet fuel.
Flight VS100 will assess how its use affects the flight’s non-carbon emissions with the support of consortium partners ICF, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Imperial College London and University of Sheffield.
The research will improve scientific understanding of the effects of SAF on contrails and particulates and help to implement contrail forecasts in the flight planning process.
Data and research will be shared with industry, and Virgin Atlantic will continue its involvement with contrail work through RMI’s Climate Impact Task Force, which is part-funded by Virgin Unite.
The SAF used on the flight was a unique dual blend - 88% HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) supplied by AirBP and 12% SAK (Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene) supplied by Virent, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
Shai Weiss, chief executive officer, Virgin Atlantic said: “Flight100 proves that SAF can be used as a safe, drop-in replacement for fossil-derived jet fuel and it’s the only viable solution for decarbonising long haul aviation. It’s taken radical collaboration to get here and we’re proud to have reached this important milestone, but we need to push further.”