British Airways has operated its first passenger service directly powered by sustainable aviation fuel, a London to Glasgow flight that the airline said produced 62% less CO2 emissions than a similar journey a decade ago.
The airline said the combination of the fuel – partly made from recycled cooking oil – with optimal flight paths, electrified airport vehicles and its newest plane slashed emissions. BA said it had offset the CO2 produced, making the flight carbon-neutral.
While about 6.4 tons of CO2 were still produced by flight BA1476 on Tuesday, the airline said the flight was intended to demonstrate the progress made by the aviation industry in its attempts to decarbonise ahead of the Cop26 summit.
The service was operated by BA’s special liveried “sustainability” plane, an Airbus A320neo, its quietest and most fuel-efficient short-haul model. The fuel was a 35% mix of sustainable fuels (SAFs) from BP – close to the maximum proportion currently permitted and higher than in similar demonstration flights.
Further contributions to maximising efficiency came from the air traffic control service Nats, which ensured a direct ascent and descent with no holding time, while Heathrow used vehicles powered by green electricity to push the plane on the ground.
While most of the factors involved in creating the “perfect flight” that BA aimed for on Tuesday are not always available – and considerable scepticism remains about sustainable air travel and offsetting – BA said it was a glimpse of the future.
The BA chief executive, Sean Doyle, said: “This flight offered a practical demonstration of the progress we’re making in our carbon reduction journey. By working together with our industry partners we’ve delivered a 62% improvement in emissions reductions compared to a decade ago.
“This marks real progress in our efforts to decarbonise and shows our determination to continue innovating, working with governments and industry, and accelerating the…
