The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it had carried out technical assessments of Virgin’s plans, including undertaking ground testing with Rolls-Royce on a Trent 1000 engine running on 100 per cent SAF.

SAFs are typically derived by combining jet fuel with alternatives such as biofuels or recycled oils from industrial food facilities to achieve carbon savings of up to 70 per cent. They are often considered to be the most carbon-efficient option for aviation given the limits of current technology, which leaves electric and hydrogen planes in the prototype stage for now.

Currently, SAF is approved for use in all aircraft, but only in blends of up to 50 per cent with conventional jet fuel.

Virgin Atlantic was awarded up to £1m of UK government funding in December 2022, following a challenge from the Department for Transport (DfT) to support the industry in achieving the first transatlantic flight on an aircraft powered by 100 per cent SAF.

The test flight...