First flight on biofuel
On the morning of Tuesday, November 30, a Boeing 787 passenger plane took off from London's Heathrow Airport and landed in New York at JFK International Airport. The head of the company, Sir Richard Branson , several other Virgin representatives were on the plane Atlantic and British Transport Secretary Mark Harper . According to the minister, this is a key milestone on the way to flying with sustainable fuel (SAF). Harper and US Transportation Secretary Polly The Trottenbergs were supposed to meet with investors in New York and discuss the possibilities of investing in sustainable flying. At least 10% of all fuel in the UK should be made from sustainable sources by 2030, according to the UK Transport Secretary. Trottenberg responded that it may be a new challenge between the United States and the United Kingdom to see who reaches that goal first.
Cooking oil as the future of aviation?
Virgin Company Atlantic reported that the fuel for Flight 100 was made mostly from used cooking oil, waste animal fat mixed with a small amount of synthetic aromatic kerosene from corn waste. The airline industry hopes the flight will show governments the potential of supporting the SAF, making it more affordable. FYI: Great Britain produced 6.9 million gallons last year, just a fraction of what demand requires.
Without Boeing and Rolls Royce wouldn't be able to
Rolls share price development Royce for the last 5 years. (Source: Google Finance) *
Flight 100 was carried out in collaboration with several partners, including aircraft designer Boeing and aero engine manufacturer Rolls Royce , whose shares rose 7% to a four-year high after the flight. * Data from the flight will be reviewed and evaluated by Imperial College London, the University of Sheffield and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a non-profit organization working to promote green energy.
Skepticism persists
Stay also responded to the event Grounded , which called the flight " greenwashing ", and its spokeswoman Magdalena Heuwieser emphasized that in order to burn less fossil fuels in aviation, the flights themselves need to be reduced. Environmental group Possible even filed a formal complaint against Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, alleging that the companies are misrepresenting and failing to provide real emissions data. For example, British Airways' emissions increased every year between 2016 and 2019, despite their "BA Better World ", which wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Complaints also point to the fact that cooking oil labeled as an ecological ingredient arouses skepticism from scientists who doubt its effectiveness. They claim, for example, that biofuels require excessive amounts of land to grow and ultimately they are less environmentally friendly than kerosene.
Global data
Aviation emissions accounted for approximately 2.4% of global CO2 emissions in 2018. That may not seem like much, but if the airline industry were a country, it would be the 6th largest emitter of greenhouse gases. In recent years, the sector's emissions have been increasing due to the greater prevalence of flying and the rapid increase in air traffic. Flying without emissions has always been, so to speak, the "holy grail" that has not been achieved. From 1970 to 2019, the US managed to reduce the energy demand of flying, expressed in British thermal units (BTUs), by 77% due to technological advances in engines, design changes or adjustments in traffic control, but the road to zero emissions will be a major effort .
Challenges for aviation
Virgin Atlantic is not the only airline that has said it wants to use 10 percent SAF by 2030. In addition to it, other European airlines also want to join, for example the International Airlines Group (to which it belongs British Airways, Vueling Iberia and others). According to information published by Reuters, the industry aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which should increase to 65%. Whether these goals are realistic will be determined by future research based on data collected from flights like this one and the willingness of investors to support such projects. [1]
Olivia Lacenova , Principal Analyst at Wonderinterest Trading Ltd.
* Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
[1] Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and current expectations, which may be inaccurate, or the current economic environment, which may change. Such statements are not guarantees of future results. They involve risks and other uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements.
