Air New Zealand to test biofuel on 747

Air New Zealand has scheduled the first commercial test flight in the world to be powered by sustainable second-generation biofuel.

One of the Boeing 747’s engines will be fuelled by a blend of jet fuel and synthetic paraffinic kerosene, in a 50:50 proportion. The synthetic fuel is derived from jatropha oil, which is made from seeds grown on environmentally-sustainable farms in India, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.

The jatropha plant grows three metres high, producing seeds that contain an inedible lipid oil used to produce the fuel.

Air New Zealand’s two-hour test flight is scheduled to depart Auckland on 3 December.

“Various procedures will be carried out during the test flight to confirm and measure the performance of the engine being operated with this fuel,” according to the carrier’s chief pilot and general airline operations manager, Captain David Morgan.

A fuels specialist at aircraft manufacturer Rolls-Royce, Chris Lewis, noted: “Laboratory testing showed the final blend has excellent properties meeting, and in many cases exceeding, the stringent technical requirements for fuels used in civil and defence aircraft.

Lewis added: “The blended fuel therefore meets the essential requirement of being a ‘drop-in’ fuel, meaning its properties will be virtually indistinguishable from conventional Jet A1 fuel, which is used in commercial aviation today.”

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www.airnewzealand.com