Virgin Atlantic Airline planes are pictured at the apron at Manchester Airport in north-west England, on June 8, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

LONDON - A Virgin Atlantic passenger jet flying from London to New York powered by 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will take off on Tuesday, as the aviation world seeks to showcase the potential of low carbon options to secure its future.

As the world de-carbonises, airlines are banking on fuel made from waste to reduce their emissions by up to 70 percent, enabling them to keep operating before electric and hydrogen-powered air travel becomes a reality in the decades to come.

Virgin Atlantic's billionaire founder Richard Branson, the airline's chief executive Shai Weiss, and Britain's transport minister Mark Harper will all be on board 

The flight operated by a Virgin Boeing 787 powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, will be the first time a commercial airline has flown long haul on 100 percent SAF.

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It follows the successful transatlantic crossing by a Gulfstream G600 business jet using the same fuel last week.

Virgin Atlantic's billionaire founder Richard Branson, the airline's chief executive Shai Weiss, and Britain's transport minister Mark Harper will all be on board the flight scheduled to leave London Heathrow at 1130 GMT and arrive at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 1440 EST.

There will be no paying passengers on board or cargo on what Virgin has dubbed Flight100, which comes days before the start of COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Thursday.

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SAF is already used in jet engines as part of a blend with traditional kerosene, but after successful ground tests, Virgin and its partners Rolls-Royce, Boeing, BP and others won permission to fly using only SAF.

Aviation accounts for an estimated 2-3 percent of global carbon emissions. SAF is key toward reducing those emissions, but it is costly and accounts for less than 0.1 percent of total global jet fuel in use today.