Virgin Atlantic tests sustainable fuel for commercial aircraft
Virgin Atlantic is testing sustainable jet fuel on a commercial aircraft for the first time. The airline will fly one of its Boeing 747s on biofuel in a demonstration flight from London to Amsterdam in February.
It will be the first time that a commercial aircraft has run biofuel in-flight and is part of a major initiative between Virgin, Air New Zealand and Boeing to discover sources of sustainable aircraft fuel for the future. Air New Zealand also similar trial.
The Virgin Atlantic 747 will not have any passengers on board during the flight, which has been arranged in conjunction with Boeing and engine maker GE Aviation, is part of Virgin Atlantic’s drive to reduce its environmental impact.
Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, says: “This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected. The demonstration flight next month will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint.”