Virgin Atlantic makes first transatlantic large plane flight using all sustainable fuel

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Virgin Atlantic flew the first transatlantic flight by a large passenger airplane using only alternative fuel Tuesday morning, another test to see if carriers can make the change to greener sources of energy.

The Boeing 787 filled with 50 tons of sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF took off from London's Heathrow Airport to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Some 88% of the fuel is derived from waste fats and the rest from the wastes of corn production in the United States. The fuel can be made from various sources, including crops, household waste, and cooking oils.

The flight did not carry any fare-paying passengers on its test. While the plane emits carbons, the industry said the "lifecycle emissions" of such fuels can be up to 70% lower.

"The world will always assume something can't be done, until you do it," Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson said in a statement. "The spirit of innovation is getting out there and trying to prove that we can do things better for everyone's benefit.

"That pioneering spirit continues to be Virgin Atlantic's beating heart as it pushes the boundaries from carbon fiber aircraft and fleet upgrades to sustainable fuels."

Virgin Atlantic said after the flight, it will assess how its use affects the flight's non-carbon emissions with the support of consortium partners, including th Rocky Mountain Institute, Imperial College London and the University of Sheffield.

Some environmentalists, though, have been less enthused about the test, charging that Virgin Atlantic and the airline industry were overstating claims about the fuel and how green it is.

"The idea that this flight somehow gets us closer to guilt-free flying is a joke," Cait Hewitt, the policy director of the Aviation Environment Federation, said.