In recent years, many airlines have turned their attention to biofuels. Now, Thai Airways, the national airline of Thailand, has decided to launch Asia’s first commercial biofuel flight.
According to the president of Thailand’s flag carrier, Piyasavasti Amranand, the commercial flight will take off on December 22. This biofuel flight is part of the airline’s “Travel Green” initiative to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the effect its fleet has on global warming.
The money obtained from this flight (TG104 Bangkok-Chiang Mai) will be transferred to an organization studying the development of renewable energy. The biofuel is obtained from non-fossil fuels, with two of the primary sources of fuels including animal fats to form biodiesel and starch to form bioethanol.
Thai Airways claims it is Asia’s first airline that flies a commercial airplane using biofuels but Air China has already launched a test flight using this type of eco-friendly fuel back in October.
“With the potential to cut aviation’s carbon footprint by up to 80 percent over the lifecycle of the fuel, sustainable biofuels have the potential to be a game-changer. But they are still expensive and supply is limited. In other words, we need to commercialize them,” said Tony Tyler, the director general of the International Air Transport Association
[via CNN GO]
