Air New Zealand Flies on Engine With Jatropha Biofuel Blend
Some in the aviation industry say they could one day be flying the biggest jets across the planet without contributing to climate change — using biofuels.
They also say that it will be easier to convert planes to biofuels than land transport, because there are 
fewer planes than cars, trucks and buses, and there is a far less complex infrastructure to deal with, comprising only a few hundred airport fueling stations across the globe.
On Tuesday, Air New Zealand joined a clutch of other commercial airlines in testing out alternative fuels.
During a two-hour flight to and from Auckland International Airport, the Air New Zealand crew sought to test how the fuel, made from jatropha plants and blended 50:50 with Jet A1 fuel in the tank of one of four Rolls-Royce engines on a 747-400, stood up to use at high altitudes and in other demanding conditions.
Air New Zealand and the other companies participating the project were to “review all the results as part of our drive to have jatropha certified as an aviation fuel,” said Air New Zealand Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan, who was part of the test flight.
Using jatropha-based fuel still emits carbon dioxide, but the gas is typically recycled in the growing of the feedstock, so there is ostensibly no additional CO2 added to the atmosphere.
