British Airways says it will use sustainable jet fuel

LONDON, Feb 15, 2010 (AFP) - British Airways on Monday said it would use low-carbon fuel to power part of its fleet from 2014 once Europe's first sustainable jet-fuel plant was built by US biofuels specialist Solena Group.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the "unique partnership" with Solena would put the airline on the road to realising its target of reducing net carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

"We believe it will lead to the production of a real sustainable alternative to jet kerosene," Walsh said in a company statement.

"We are absolutely determined to reduce our impact on climate change and are proud to lead the way on aviation's environmental initiatives."

British Airways said it had signed a letter of intent to purchase all the fuel produced by the Solena plant, which was likely to be built in east London.

The plant will convert 500,000 tonnes of waste into 16 million gallons of green jet fuel annually, according to BA.

The airline added that up to 1,200 jobs would be created thanks to the project.


by Lachlan Carmichael
(c) 2010 AFP