London to New York: Inaugural Transatlantic Flight on Sustainable Aviation Fuel
A Boeing 787 aircraft successfully completed a journey from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's Kennedy Airport using exclusively sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that poses minimal harm to the environment, reports BBC.
SAF can be produced from various raw materials, including agricultural crops, household waste, and even cooking oils. For this London to New York flight, 50 tons of SAF were required. The Boeing 787 plane was fueled with 88% waste oil and 12% corn waste.
The use of SAF has the potential to reduce carbon emissions, positively impacting the environment, given that aviation contributes to 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, leading to global warming. However, SAF is currently expensive and produced in limited quantities. Nevertheless, European airlines plan to incorporate 10% SAF by 2030, and the aviation industry aims to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The mentioned flight was a test, with no passengers flying on a commercial basis. It was made possible through the financial support of the United Kingdom, which is exploring ways to reduce harmful emissions in aviation.
Following tests and analysis, the flight received approval from the British Civil Aviation Authority earlier this month. Virgin Atlantic, the airline that owns the aircraft used for the flight, and various aviation equipment manufacturers, including Rolls-Royce for engines and energy giant BP, are involved in the project to use sustainable aviation fuel.
In related news, German company Lilium, specializing in the development of air taxis, has received approval from European regulatory authorities to design its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Lilium obtained a "Design Organization Approval" from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a specialized license allowing the company to design and manufacture its transport vehicles. It's worth noting that Design Organization Approval is a key requirement for any company involved in the development of commercial aircraft.