Sustainable aviation fuel provider Neste will be providing Virgin Atlantic with a supply of 2.5 million litres of neat sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The fuel will be delivered in the first half of 2022 to London Heathrow and is made from sustainably sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when compared to traditional fossil jet fuel.
The airline says the agreement forms part of a wider collaboration between Virgin Atlantic and Neste, the world’s leading provider of SAF, to increase the availability and use of SAF in the UK, and is an important step towards the carrier’s target of 10% SAF use by 2030.
Energy company ExxonMobil, Virgin Atlantic’s largest fuel supplier at London Heathrow, will be managing the delivery of SAF into the UK.
The deal with Neste represents the first commercial supply of SAF for Virgin Atlantic.
Holly Boyd-Boland, VP Corporate Development at Virgin Atlantic, said: “After fleet renewal, SAF represents the greatest opportunity to decarbonise aviation in the short to medium term. This supply is the beginning of commercial SAF at scale for Virgin Atlantic and whilst only enough to operate 140 flights between London and New York, it’s a starting point.
“To meet our 10% SAF target in 2030 we need to deliver this volume more than 70 times over, requiring cross-industry and government action to support commercialisation of SAF at scale, particularly in the UK. We will continue to work closely with Neste and ExxonMobil, as well as wider industry partners, to find innovative solutions to achieve this goal.”
Jonathan Wood, Vice President Renewable Aviation at Neste, said: “We are delighted to provide Virgin Atlantic with our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Neste is committed to working together with the aviation industry to achieve its emission reduction targets. We are ready to support the aviation industry and UK government’s policy ambitions to increase the use of SAF to at least 10% by 2030. We need to act now – SAF is a proven solution with clear climate benefits and is already available today.”
