Historic flight powered by sustainable fuel

On 28th November 2023, the first ever transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) took off, with the help of engineers from the University of Sheffield – marking a significant step on the path to decarbonising the aviation industry.

The flight follows more than a year of collaboration between a Virgin Atlantic-led consortium that includes the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, BP, and others, and has been partly funded by the UK’s Department of Transport. 

Researchers from the University of Sheffield worked closely with their peers at Imperial College London to test and assess the fuel for the flight. The team measured particulate matter emitted from a smaller-scale aircraft engine to confirm that sustainable aviation fuel reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions by up to 70% compared to traditional jet fuel.