Bringing new sustainable aviation fuels to market faster

Sustainable aviation is vital to reducing the UK's carbon emissions. Without it, we cannot achieve net zero.

With aviation projected to be the highest emitting transport sector by 2050, the commercial aviation industry needs urgent transformative change to decarbonise.

The University of Sheffield is bringing together its world-leading research and innovation with industry powerhouses, like Boeing and Virgin Atlantic, to help make air travel cleaner and achieve the world’s first 100 per cent SAF transatlantic flight.

The world's first 100 per cent SAF transatlantic flight

Flight100 is a pioneering research project led by Virgin Atlantic, in partnership with the University, to fly across the pond using 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel. The flight is supported by research and fuel testing conducted at the University.

At the Translational Energy Research Centre, the fuel’s properties were tested on an Auxiliary Power Unit to ensure emissions reduction, in partnership with Imperial College London.

World-first transatlantic flight using sustainable aviation fuel takes off

The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre

The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC) at the University of Sheffield, also funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is a brand new facility to help test and deploy new sustainable aviation fuels.

SAF-IC is set to give the UK much-needed testing capabilities to help producers derisk investment and bring new sustainable aviation fuels to market. It will establish South Yorkshire as the UK’s leading place for R&D in sustainable aviation fuels.

The Translational Energy Research Centre

The Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest research and development facilities in Europe for zero-carbon energy, hydrogen, bioenergy, and CCUS.

Located on the same site as SAF-IC, the Centre also accommodates key facilities to test new sustainable aviation fuels.

Our new Energy Innovation Centre

In July 2022, we announced our new Energy Innovation Centre - a new energy net-zero infrastructure accelerator which offers industrial partners access to our national pilot-scale laboratories and infrastructure at TERC and SAF-IC.

Boeing is our founding member, and will use the partnership to test, develop and assess new sustainable aviation fuels.

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