LONDON – British billionaire Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways, tested a Boeing 747-300 that was partly filled by a biofuel made from babassu nuts and coconut oil, first time of its kind for a commercial aircraft.

Babassu nuts, which were picked from Amazon rainforests, played an imperative role in making biofuel for a commercial airline flight for the first time. The flight successfully flew to Amsterdam from Heathrow Airport with one out of its four fuel tanks filled with a blend of biofuel made up of babassu and coconut oil and jet kerosene. The aircraft landed safely in Amsterdam after 40 minutes.

“This is a milestone in the history of entire airline industry,“ said Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways in a press meet at Heathrow airport prior to the take off aircraft.

He said, “We did not want to manufacture biofuels from vegetable oils, grain, and sugar which were competing with essential food items.“ He also added that algae, which are produced in places such as sewage treatment farms, would probably be the future source of renewable fuel for the airline industry.

The fuel used in the flight consists of 20 % of pure biofuel and 80 % of standard jet fuel. Branson announced that the aircraft would be able to fly even with a 40 percent blend of biofuel with jet fuel.

“This is the first step towards the journey of biofuel,“ said Richard Branson. “It’s as exciting as a first few steps made by a baby.“

“This is a revolutionary attempt which will enable those who are keen to reduce the emission of carbon and to carry on developing a possible fuel of the future which can empower our aircraft through renewable future generation oils, such as algae,” he said.

With the oil price continuously rising and environmentalists blaming the aviation industry for contributing to global warming, the aircraft manufacturers are competing to develop a substitute for jet fuel.

“Before two years, people said it was impossible. They said that the biofuel would freeze at 30,000 feet,” said Richard Branson in an interview. He added that the ultimate aim of this test is to prove how effectively the biofuel would work on commercial aircraft.

He said to the reporters that he views algae as the most promising source for deriving biofuel in the future because it could be produced in large quantities without affecting the environment. Branson firmly believes that Virgin aircraft could be flying on the fuel obtained from algae in the next five to 10 years.

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