Aviation biofuel given the green light

The Air Transport Association has given the go ahead for the aviation industry to power passenger planes with a blend of traditional fuel and biofuel.

Aviation fuels could, as a result of the preliminary approval, contain up to 50 per cent biofuel, produced from algal, jatropha, municipal waste and other cellulosic feedstocks.

Final approval on the decision is expected no later than July 1st.

"Our goal is to have one per cent of all aviation fuel have some bio-content within the next five years," said Billy Glover, vice president of environment and aviation at Boeing.

He told Bloomberg that the decision to include biofuel in jet fuel specifications is "a tremendous accomplishment" for aviation and would not have happened were it not for the entire industry working to the same goal.

However, Reuters recently reported that ten international agencies including the World Bank and World Trade Organisation are urging governments to scrap biofuel development as it is forcing up global fuel prices.