- Voyager aircraft powered by 43% Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(SAF) flies over North Sea.
- The aircraft used a blend of traditional fossil fuels and SAF
such as cooking oil.
- Flight marks the launch of a new aviation Net Zero Carbon
roadmap for commercial aviation.
Flying from RAF Brize Norton, over the North Sea and via
Farnborough on its return home, the Voyager aircraft also
undertook air-to-air refuelling with Typhoons, as part of planned
training.
Made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks, such as used
cooking oil, SAF reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80%
compared to traditional jet fuel and will be key to reducing the
RAF’s reliance on global supply chains and fossil fuels, while
improving operational resilience.
This significant moment follows a series of recent milestones
achieved by the RAF towards a sustainable aviation future,
including the world first RAF Voyager flight fuelled by 100% SAF.
Defence Minister, said:
Greater use of alternative and sustainable fuel can only lead to
positive outcomes for Defence, the United Kingdom, and our
collective endeavour against climate change.
This is not an easy undertaking by the RAF, but time and
again we see that by working collaboratively with our
partners across industry we can achieve crucial
transformation.
Part of a two-day industry led conference – Sustainable Skies
World Summit - the flight marks the UK aviation industry
publishing its updated aviation Net Zero Carbon roadmap outlining
how commercial aviation will become more sustainable and
commercially viable.
The annual event, hosted at Farnborough International Exhibition
& Conference Centre, brings together various partners from
industry to showcase the latest developments in sustainable
aviation technology and support efforts moving towards the
implementation phase of meeting its net zero commitment.
Supporting the RAF’s ambitions to be Net Zero by 2040, the
Voyager flight was part of an existing task from the Chief of the
Air Staff to gather the required data to inform the longer-term
transition away from fossil fuels.
The RAF has identified that using SAF and alternative aviation
fuels will be critical for the future operational capability of
the RAF and wider military aviation.
The UK’s SAF programme is already one of the most comprehensive
in the world and supports our vision to set the UK up to be a
global leader in the development, production, and use of SAF.
Supporting the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, new
aviation technologies and fuels provide huge opportunities for
economic growth, delivering jobs and prosperity across the
country.
Chief of Staff Support and Chief Engineer, Air
Vice-Marshal, Paul Lloyd said:
The continued success of sustainable aviation fuel is reassuring
to see. If we are to achieve our net zero goal by 2040 then
exploiting these technologies is going to be an enormous but
worthwhile endeavour.
Despite the challenge, the benefits of reducing our reliance on
traditional supply chains and fossil fuels outweigh it.
The RAF is proud to be leading in this area and I welcome the
announcement introduction of commercial uses of SAF.
Providing increased reliability and range, the Voyager aircraft
gives the RAF an enhanced capability in support of troop
mobility, the movement of military assets, and supports UK air
defence.
With a payload of 43 tonnes of freight and 291 seat passenger
capacity, plus an aeromedical evacuation capability, Voyager also
delivers flexibility in air mobility to the UK Armed forces in
support of military and humanitarian operations.
During the two days of the Sustainable Skies World Summit, the
Jet Zero Council (JZC) – a partnership between industry and
government with the aim of delivering at least 10% SAF in the UK
fuel mix by 2030 and zero emission transatlantic flight within a
generation - will also meet. The Jet Zero Council is driving the
ambitious delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut
aviation emissions.
The SAF for the flight was sourced by International Airlines
Group (IAG), and supplied by bp.
