What is the impact of the airline industry on global climate?
The airline industry affects the environment a lot. Global airlines release large amounts of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. Many airline companies are trying hard to find ways to reduce their impact on climate change.
Virgin Atlantic recently had its first flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF is a type of biofuel that powers planes. It is similar to regular aviation fuel but has a smaller carbon footprint.
What do we know about this flight?
On 28th November 2023, Virgin Atlantic's Flight100 flew using 100% SAF. It was the first time a commercial airline flew across the Atlantic from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York’s JFK Airport using 100% SAF. Using 100% SAF helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions a lot compared to regular jet fuel.
Flight100's main goal was to show that SAF can be used instead of fossil fuels. It also collected important research data about SAF, encouraging more widespread manufacturing and use. Virgin Atlantic wants to share what it learned to promote sustainable flights worldwide.
How soon can 100% SAF be used for flights?
Planes usually use up to 50% SAF, but Virgin Atlantic needed special permission to use 100% SAF. However, it's not common yet for planes to use 100% SAF because it's expensive and not easily available. Virgin Atlantic hopes their special flight will encourage more companies to work on making SAF and bring down its cost.
But there's a challenge: even though a small quantity of SAF can be made from plant waste, making a lot more for planes (which need a lot of fuel) might lead to farmers growing plants for fuel instead of food. This can cause deforestation as more forests might be cut down for farming the plants.
Despite these challenges, companies and governments are working to make 100% SAF an option for flights in the future.
