First passenger plane to use biofuel lifts off

AirFrance unit KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was the first airline to carry out a passenger flight, which partly used biokerosene. During the 1.5 hour flight above the Netherlands, one engine of the Boeing 747 ran on a mixture of 50 percent sustainable biofuel and 50 percent on traditional kerosene. The other three engines ran on 100 percent normal kerosene. KLM Chief Executive Peter Hartman said the biofuel used on the flight reduces CO2 emissions up to 80 percent compared to conventional kerosene. At the end of 2010 we hope to get the first certification and then, of course, the challenge will be how fast are we able, together with the industry, to produce it, Hartman said. Airplanes account for an estimated 2-4 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which scientists say could cause global temperatures to rise, triggering widespread disease, famine, flooding and drought. Experts say global aviation emissions could reach 2.4 billion tonnes of in 2050, which would be 15-20 percent of all CO2 permitted under a global agreement and a nearly four-fold increase on current levels.