A year after over 60 MPs called for action from the government concerning SAF production, Virgin Atlantic revived industry demands. The call comes with working evidence from the airline demonstrating the safety of Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
The amendment a year ago called on the government to bring in better financial support for those working on production. Despite this progress, many in the travel industry are impatient for results. Virgin Atlantic is among those waiting for action. They have now stepped forward to demand that action from the UK government.
The airline was confident in this call to action after revealing their results. The results show that a November 2023 flight from Heathrow to New York was fueled entirely by SAF. Virgin described SAF as a “safe drop-in replacement for fossil fuel” because of this flight.
The results showed a reduction in the production of CO2, fuel usage, and persistent contrail formation, with cleaner air quality.
What Does the Industry Say?
In the call to action, Shai Wess said, “We have demonstrated that it can be done – SAF is a safe drop-in replacement for fossil fuel and can be used with today’s infrastructure.
“We are ready to fly 100% SAF but a scale-up in production of circa 100 times from where we are today is needed to meet 10% SAF by 2030.
“We must now see urgent action from government, oil majors and private capital to invest in the production capacity needed to deliver a thriving UK SAF industry. We’ve proven that if enough SAF is made, we will fly it.
“UK government must now match ambition with action. Implementing its SAF mandate and moving at pace to invest in a revenue certainty mechanism to create a UK SAF industry, 10,000 jobs and nearly £2 billion of economic value for the UK by 2030.”
With the rate of progress on SAF production, many other industry professionals are making the same call. While there are issues with mass production of SAF, the government is still being called to question.
It is the responsibility of the travel industry to create a healthier world for travellers. Plus, we must do this without taking away the holidays they love. What do you think the world will look like on the tail end of sustainable fuels?
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