Horizons Online Edition

Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: News

A Boeing 747 operated by Virgin Atlantic became the first jumbo jet to fly powered partially on biofuel when it flew from London to Amsterdam on Feb. 24.

Partially powered by a combination of coconut oil and an oil from a type of palm tree, the Virgin Boeing 747 set out to make a statement and take a step forward towards a "greener" environment.

Sir Richard Branson, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Atlantic, commented on the issue and said that people have always put down the idea of a biofuel because there was always the risk of it freezing at altitudes above 30,000.

Teaming up with Boeing and General Electric, Virgin was successful in accomplishing the task of making a jumbo jet to fly on biofuel.

This short flight from London to Amsterdam used a combination of 40 percent biofuel to 60 percent jet fuel. By accomplishing a successful flight, Branson is looking into reducing carbon dioxide emissions from engines and maybe having their entire fleet run on biofuel.

Virgin says no airplanes need to be modified in order to run on this new biofuel.

Biofuel sounds like an environmentally friendly fuel, but it will take take weeks before carbon dioxide emissions are calculated. Also, the fact that the fuel is biofuel does not mean it will be economically feasible. By comparing conventional uses for biofuel today, for Virgin to be able to use biofuel on all of their aircraft, half of England's farmable land will have to be used. It all depends on the mixture of fuel and the oils used.

Branson also commented and asked people to stop criticizing this experiment. He hopes to one day run his fleet of Virgin aircraft on biofuel made out of algae which grows in sewage treatment plants.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools