Virgin Atlantic Announces Partnership with LanzaTech to Develop Lower-Carbon Aviation Fuel

On 11 October 2011, we announced a partnership with New Zealand-based clean technology company LanzaTech to develop an alternative aviation fuel using waste gases from industrial steel production. The collaboration formed part of our efforts to explore ways of reducing the environmental impact of long-haul flying and our dependence on conventional fossil-based jet fuel. The proposed technology involved capturing carbon-rich waste gases from steel mills and using a fermentation process to convert them into ethanol, which could then be processed into aviation fuel. Working with LanzaTech, Boeing and Swedish Biofuels, we aimed to develop a fuel suitable for use in existing commercial aircraft. Initial projections suggested that the process could reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by approximately 50% compared with conventional jet fuel, although these estimates remained subject to further testing and commercial development. At the time of the announcement, LanzaTech was piloting its technology in New Zealand, with plans for demonstration and production facilities in China. We initially anticipated introducing the fuel on selected services from Shanghai and Delhi to London Heathrow within two to three years, subject to technical approval and sufficient production capacity. These plans reflected the early stage of the technology, with further development needed before it could be used commercially. The partnership extended our work on alternative aviation fuels following our 2008 biofuel demonstration flight. It established a longer-term collaboration focused on converting industrial waste carbon into usable aviation fuel, contributing to research into more sustainable fuel production methods for commercial aviation.