The aviation industry has been trying real hard to green in more ways than just one and to be very honest expecting too much from them at such a fast pace is really unfair in times when every industry has been hit hard by the economic meltdown. But things are looking up already with airline carriers realizing that taking the eco-friendly path could give them a competitive edge in the near future and many of them are queuing up to test the efficiency and usability of biofuel. Dutch airline company KLM is the latest in line with a scheduled Boeing 747 flight on November 23 that will use a 50/50 combination of jet fuel and Biofuel.

The effort will be the first of its kind as previous biofuel-powered flights were limited to pilot-only scenarios making this the first passenger flight to boldly take up the challenge. For those flustered by the word ‘first’ KLM assures that there is no danger involved at all and the flight will be as smooth as normal. The biofuel being used in this test flight will be made from camelina, a feedstock that produces 84 percent less emissions than regular jet fuel and is also a low impact crop that can be cultivated with ease.

In the past airline carriers have tested Jatropah-based biofuel and hence this new variety will be a further addition to the existing line. Now we can only sit back, wait and hope that very soon we will witness a flight that will be completely powered by biofuel… Hopefully!

Ecogeek