Aircraft Could be Flying on Biofuels within 3 to 5 Years

Within three to five years, the first drops of sustainable aviation biofuels could be entering the tanks of aircraft, according to the Geneva-based Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). In order to inform industry employees and members of the flying public about this “new age in flight”, the group this week launches a new publication, The Beginner’s Guide to Aviation Biofuels.

Paul Steele, Executive Director of ATAG, the only global organisation representing all parts of the commercial air transport sector, said, “We are standing at the beginning of a new era in aviation. For the first time we have identified a viable alternative to fossil fuels for commercial aviation. We have seen the age of flying boats, the jet age and the age of democratisation of air travel. In the next few years, we are preparing to enter the ‘biofuels age’ of flight.”
Steele said, “We are now confident that biofuels can be technically used in flight. There remain two major complexities: guaranteeing the biofuel we use is sustainable and doesn’t impact on food and water supplies; and ensuring we can get enough to use. The industry has called on governments to support potential biofuel suppliers in developing the necessary feedstock and refining systems until the fledgling sustainable aviation biofuels industry has achieved the necessary critical mass.

“While these are not minor hurdles, they are not insurmountable. After all, the history of aviation is marked by people achieving extraordinary things, despite the conventional wisdom of the time telling them it couldn’t be done. We feel the same way about the biofuels age of flight.”

Azom