Praise heaped on historic event

“What a relief,” these were the first words uttered by Sir Richard Branson when his 100% SAF-powered Boeing 787 lifted off the tarmac at Heathrow on its journey to JFK in New York.
Footage shared by Mr Branson online revealed the delight on the faces of the invited guests who were on the passenger list of that historic flight in November last year.
The success of the first-ever 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) trans-Atlantic flight by a commercial airline, operated by Virgin Atlantic, signifies a new era in SAF technology. This step towards eco-friendly air travel was made possible thanks to an innovative process, BioForming® Sugar to Aromatics (S2A).

Technological advancement

The technology was originally invented by Virent and jointly developed for commercialisation by the company and Johnson Matthey.

The process marks a significant move towards decarbonising the aviation sector and a breakthrough in SAF.

The cornerstone of this historic flight, conducted by an unmodified aircraft in current service, was the development of bio-based aromatics that enhanced SAF blending and enabled 100% SAF…