BUSINESS NEWS


Virgin Atlantic’s Shai Weiss says: ‘I’m not optimistic about the emergence of the SAF industry in the UK. Investors want certainty and there isn’t any’


Virgin to operate first SAF transatlantic flight


But chief executive criticises UK’s lack of production urgency. Ian Taylor reports Despite winning the competition


Virgin Atlantic is due to operate the first transatlantic flight fuelled entirely by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at the end of this month. The flight from Heathrow to New


York on November 28 will mark the culmination of more than a year’s effort after the government launched a competition to fly the Atlantic using 100% SAF. Airlines are currently certified to use a maximum 50% SAF, although only about 0.1% of aviation fuel comprises SAF at present.


56 16 NOVEMBER 2023


and preparing for the flight, Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss slammed the government last week, saying the UK “is really nowhere” on stimulating SAF production. He argued: “SAF is the only way


to decarbonise long-haul flying [and] we’re fighting against the US and Europe [to develop SAF].” The US Inflation Reduction Act


has made up to $400 billion available in tax breaks and investment on ‘clean’


energy, while the EU has set binding mandates for aviation SAF use. But in the UK, Weiss said: “We’re


consulting.” He urged the government to “increase the use of HEFA”, the process to refine vegetable oils, waste oils and fats into SAF, and “to provide a price support mechanism” for production, which he said the government “does not want to do.”


Continued on page 54 travelweekly.co.uk


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