Continental announces commercial jet biofuel flight

Continental airlines announced this week that it hopes to win the race to become the first US operator to power a commercial jet using biofuel in a demonstration flight on 7 January next year.

The company said it will use a blend of 50 per cent traditional jet fuel and 50 per cent biofuel derived from algae and jatropha in one of the Boeing 737-800's two engines.

Continental claimed the demonstration flight will be the first biofuel flight by a commercial carrier using algae – an energy crop widely regarded as one of the most likely potential sources of aviation-class biofuel – as a fuel source and the first using a two-engine aircraft.

The flight will have no passengers on board and the pilots will conduct a number of experimental in-flight procedures, including power accelerations and decelerations, as well as in-flight engine shut-down and restart.

The company said numerous flight parameters will be recorded, and a post-flight engine analysis will contribute to findings which the consortium hopes will show that the biofuel blend is readily substitutable for regular fuel without any degradation of performance or safety, and with a net reduction in carbon emissions.

The flight is the result of a nine-month research project involving Continental, Boeing, engine manufacturer CFM International, refining technology developer UOP, and biofuel firms Sapphire Energy, which will provide the algae-based fuel, and Terrasol, which will provide the jatropha-based fuel.

The flight will see Continental join Virgin Atlantic, which undertook its first biofuel-powered demonstration flight earlier this year, and Air New Zealand, which is also set to undertake a biofuel flight in January after delaying a flight scheduled for last week, as pioneer in the field of aviation biofuels.

Continental chief executive officer Larry Kellner hailed the flight as a significant landmark in the development of green and sustainable aviation fuels. "This flight represents another step in Continental's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and identifying sustainable, long-term fuel solutions for the aviation industry," he said.