Air New Zealand successfully conducted the world's first sustainable biofuel test flight with a Rolls-Royce-powered 747-400 on Dec. 30, capping a year in which air transport efforts on alternative fuels rapidly accelerated from the test tube to the runway. More than a dozen key performance tests were undertaken during the 2-hr. test flight that took off at 11:30 a.m. local time from Auckland International. A biofuel blend of 50:50 jatropha and Jet A1 was used to power one of the 747-400's RB211s.
Air New Zealand successfully conducted the world's first sustainable biofuel test flight with a Rolls-Royce-powered 747-400 on Dec. 30, capping a year in which air transport efforts on alternative fuels rapidly accelerated from the test tube to the runway. More than a dozen key performance tests were undertaken during the 2-hr. test flight that took off at 11:30 a.m. local time from Auckland International. A biofuel blend of 50:50 jatropha and Jet A1 was used to power one of the 747-400's ...
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