United Airlines Begins Use of Biofuel
Jennifer Billock March 14, 2016
On flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco, United Airlines is now using 30 percent biofuel.
Starting March 11, United Airlines will begin operating some flights with a blend of 30 percent biofuel and 70 percent petroleum fuel. The flights will initially operate between Los Angeles and San Francisco; 12,500 flights are planned to use the fuel. United made a deal in 2013 with AltAir Fuels to buy large quantities of its biofuel, made from non-edible animal fats and oil, every year.
“United’s commitment to using renewable fuel in everyday service is a significant milestone in the adoption and use of sustainable fuels,” Veronica May, VP and GM of Honeywell UOP, the company that created the biofuel technology for AltAir, said in a statement reported by Air Transport World.
These flights will be the first time an airline in the United States uses an alternative fuel source on regularly scheduled flights, although the phenomenon is not new — Lufthansa was the first airline in the world to use a biofuel mixture when the fuel was used for six months in Airbus planes in 2011. The momentum is not expected to slow, either. United has a standing order for 5 million gallons of AltAir’s fuel every year, and starting in 2018, will purchase at least 90 million gallons of Fulcrum BioEnergy’s sustainable fuel every year for 10 years minimum.
Other airlines are on board with the trend as well. Red Rock Biofuels makes fuel out of woody biomass and already has standing agreements for purchase with both Southwest Airlines and FedEx Express.
[Photo: United]
Would be interesting to know how much of a premium the 'green' fuel costs over normal jetfuel, and how the overall carbon footprint of biofuel compares to traditional petroleum.