Virgin Atlantic and biofuel test flight

Virgin Atlantic is a British-based airline owned by Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines.

Did you know?

• Virgin boss, Richard Branson, has pledged to commit all profits from his travel firms, such as airline Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains, over the next 10 years for investment in new renewable energy technologies.

What are we doing?

• On 24 February 2008, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747, in partnership with Boeing, GE Aviation and Imperium Renewables, flew from London Heathrow to Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands using biofuel.
• One of the 747’s four engines was fueled using a mixture that consisted of 20% biofuel and 80% kerosene blend.

What are the results?

• The Virgin demonstration flight “marks a biofuel breakthrough for the whole airline industry,” said Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic. “Virgin Atlantic and its partners have proved that you can find an alternative to traditional jet fuel and fly a plane on biofuel. This pioneering flight will enable those of us who are serious about reducing our carbon emissions to go on developing the fuels of the future, fuels which will power our aircraft in the years ahead.”
• Individual test flight such as this are essential towards proving the technical feasibility of using biofuels in a commercial jetliner; the journey continues with demonstration flights with Air New Zealand in 2008 and Continental Airlines in 2009 towards fulfilling a long-term vision of fully sustainable, low-carbon-lifecycle fuel solutions and further establishes the commitment the industry is making across a range of technical and operational areas to flying greener.

For more information on the biofuel flight, click here.

For further information on Virgin Atlantic's environment policy, click here.