Heathrow airport has partnered with Heston Blumenthal to launch a full English cooked with oil that is then cleaned and recycled into renewable biofuels.
The ‘Fly Up’ is designed to raise awareness about sustainable aviation fuel, after findings from Opinium Research showed that only 14 per cent of travellers have heard of SAF.
The dish is available with meat (£15.95) or in vegetarian form (£15.50) and served at Blumenthal’s Perfectionists’ Cafe, located in the upper level of Departures at Heathrow T2, though the airport noted that aeroplane-shaped toast was just used for the press imagery (so don’t expect it on your plate!).
Waste management service Quatra will collect, clean and recycle the used cooking oils from the Fly Up breakfast, with the oils and fats then undergoing treatment and purification to remove organic impurities and water.
The processed used oil will then be sent to Quatra’s partners and transformed into biofuels, including SAF and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). Quatra currently collects used cooking oil from 18 restaurants across Heathrow airport.
SAF is made from a variety of sources, including used cooking oils, and can be used in aircraft engines alongside regular fuel. The UK aviation sector projects that it will account for around 40 per cent of the aviation industry’s total carbon reduction by 2050. Heathrow says that SAF is the “single biggest innovation that will help the UK hit its Net Zero target by 2050”.
Matt Gorman, director of carbon at Heathrow said:
“We are delighted to partner with Heston Blumenthal’s The Perfectionists’ Café to introduce the ‘Fly Up’, a breakfast that not only gives passengers a delicious start to the day but will raise awareness about SAF and its potential to transform this industry.
“By demonstrating how cooking oils can be converted into biofuels, we want people to understand how SAF is a real solution to decarbonise aviation and show how we’re continuing our mission to get to Net Zero by 2050.”
The airport once again called for the government to put further measures in place to increase the production of SAF.
“We know that having the right government policies in place is crucial to making this shift happen. We need a mandate for SAF use, as well as a price support mechanism, to de-risk and incentivise investment in UK SAF facilities.”
Carlos Santos, head chef at The Perfectionists’ Cafe, added:
“This is an exciting partnership that we are thrilled to be part of. The ‘Fly Up’ is made up of the best of British ingredients – a breakfast we’re proud of, and even more so as it signifies a positive step towards a more sustainable future for air travel.”
Heathrow aims for SAF to make up 11 per cent of the jet fuel used by 2030, and also has a scheme which halves the price gap between conventional jet fuel and SAF in order to incentivise airlines to use the fuel.
The scheme aims for 2.5 per cent of fuel used at Heathrow to be SAF in 2024. If this is achieved, this will amount to up to 155,000 tonnes of fuel.
Meanwhile, the airport has already switched to HVO biodiesel on the ground, with over 95 per cent of its operational diesel fleet now using the fuel.
Passengers can also help to address the industry’s carbon emissions by supporting SAF or certified reforestation projects via the climate tech company CHOOOSE’s platform.
For more information on SAF, see our feature:
