Virgin Atlantic made headlines this Tuesday with its first transatlantic flight powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The pioneering journey from London to New York featured Virgin's billionaire founder Richard Branson, CEO Shai Weiss, and Britain's Transport Minister Mark Harper among the select few on board.
The flight aimed to demonstrate the aviation industry's potential to adopt low-carbon alternatives, highlighting SAF's role in reducing emissions and ensuring a sustainable future for air travel.
However, Cait Hewitt, Policy Director at the Aviation Environment Federation, voiced strong criticisms, labeling the endeavor a \"gimmick, not a game changer.\" Speaking to CGTN Europe before the flight's departure, Hewitt emphasized that while the use of SAF is a positive step, it remains a small fraction of the overall aviation fuel landscape. \"There are some alternative fuels that are more sustainable than others. It remains the case that 99.9% of aviation fuel is kerosene,\" she stated.
Hewitt further argued that the scalability of SAF is questionable, especially given its reliance on waste-based fuels which may not be sustainable in the long term. \"The flight isn't going to change that fact. It's using fuel made out of waste that is very clearly not going to be possible to scale up sustainably in the future. So I think we need to have a bit more honesty in this debate,\" she concluded.
While Virgin Atlantic's initiative marks a significant milestone in sustainable aviation, critics like Hewitt call for a more transparent and scalable approach to truly transform the industry's environmental impact.
Reference(s):
'It's a gimmick, not a game changer' – Virgin's SAF flight questioned
cgtn.com
