Air New Zealand is closer to a biofuel test flight. It plans on using a Boeing 747 with Jatropha derived biofuel in an engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce. The fuels are being refined in the United States with test samples being sent to Rolls-Royce. The company is testing the fuel on their recently successful Trent 1000 engine.

This is a big moment for biofuels. Once this test flight is underway it will be the her world’s first flight on a large passenger aircraft use of fuel sourced from the Jatropha weed her says that airline’s head of operations David Morgan, aka Captain Morgan.

Globally, airlines are complaining about fuel costs, New Zealand air spent an extra three hundred million dollars last year on jet fuel prices for a barrel had risen to as high as a hundred and seventy four US dollars. The Jatropha derived biofuel can be produced for about thirty percent less.

However, it’s not just a cost savings that has Air New Zealand interested in biofuels. The company is hoping to impress more affluent customers concerned about the size of their international flights carbon footprint. Whatever the reason it’s exciting to see a major airline serious about actually using biofuels.

Air New Zealand has an ambitious plan to run sustainable hybrid fuels on at least ten percent of its fleet within the next five years. although ten percent might not seem impressive. That’s still enough to reduce the airlines dependency on oil by one million barrels per year.