Virgin Atlantic's 100% SAF Flight Sparks Debate on Green Aviation

While the airline touts its commitment to carbon reductions, critics argue the move is a 'greenwashing gimmick' and highlight the same emissions from burning used cooking oil as kerosene.

Virgin Atlantic flew the first trans-Atlantic passenger flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from London to New York, aiming to highlight the airline's commitment to carbon reductions.
The industry's focus on SAF is due to its increasing role in generating harmful greenhouse gas, with aviation potentially accounting for a fifth of all carbon emissions by 2050 without significant change.
Global SAF production met only 0.1% of the industry’s fuel needs last year, rising to 0.2% in 2023, according to the International Air Transport Association.
SAF is made from a variety of feed sources, from used cooking oil to plant waste to household trash and ethanol, but it currently costs as much as four times traditional jet fuel.
Experts have criticized the flight as a 'greenwashing gimmick', arguing that the tailpipe emissions from burning used cooking oil are the same as kerosene made from fossil fuels.