Virgin Atlantic Conducts a Biofuel Demonstration Flight

On 24 February 2008, we operated a Boeing 747-400 demonstration flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport using an experimental aviation biofuel blend. The flight, conducted without passengers, was the first demonstration of a commercial aircraft flying with biofuel in one of its engines. It formed part of our work with Boeing, GE Aviation and other partners to explore alternative fuels that could potentially reduce aviation's dependence on conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. The aircraft, registered G-VWOW and named Cosmic Girl, used a fuel blend containing 20% biofuel derived from coconut and babassu oils in one of its four engines, with the remaining engines operating on conventional jet fuel. The demonstration was designed to assess whether a biofuel blend could be used safely in existing aircraft engines without requiring significant modifications. The flight lasted approximately 40 minutes and landed successfully in Amsterdam. The demonstration provided an early practical test of alternative aviation fuels, although the environmental benefits of the particular blend remained uncertain. The use of plant-derived oils also raised questions about feedstock availability, land use and the sustainability of producing aviation fuel at scale. Nevertheless, the flight contributed to industry research into fuel alternatives and helped inform further testing and development of sustainable aviation fuels.