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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.

Tags: aircraft fuel, algae, Babassu nuts, biofuel, commercial aircraft, jet fuel, Virgin Atlantic Airways