Simon Calder explains Virgin Atlantic’s first ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ flight

The Independent travel correspondent Simon Calder has explained how Virgin Atlantic’s first transatlantic flight powered only by “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF) will work.

The flight due to take off at 11:30am on Tuesday, 28 November, from London Heathrow to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Virgin Atlantic claims the fuel -made from sustainable sources such as agricultural waste and used cooking oil - offers “CO2 lifecycle emissions savings of up to 70 per cent, whilst performing like the traditional jet fuel it replaces”.

However, critics have accused the airline of overstating the environmental benefits of using the fuel.