Air China, Boeing and Chinese and U.S. aviation energy partners conducted China’s first sustainable biofuel flight. The two-hour mainland flight from Beijing Capital International Airport was witnessed by officials from both countries and highlights the viability of using sustainable aviation biofuel sourced in China.
PetroChina, working with Honeywell’s UOP, sourced and refined the China-grown, jatropha-based biofuel used for this flight aboard a Boeing 747-400 powered by Pratt & Whitney engines. China National Aviation Fuel blended the biofuel with traditional jet fuel and also provided aircraft fueling support.
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) and Boeing also announced an agreement for further study of regional biofuel development. The study results will help support future efforts to establish a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in China, and also form the foundation for an announced renewable energy agreement between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the NEA.
Air China and Boeing are already working plans for an international flight between the U.S. and China fueled by sustainable biofuel, which will highlight increasing cooperation on renewable energy development between the two countries.
