2023-11-28 07:40:00
Aurélien Fleurot // Photo credit: Nicolas Economou / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
Aviation is actively working to reduce its impact on the environment. Two days before the opening of COP28 in Dubai, the first commercial flight powered by biofuel will cross the Atlantic. On board: scientists, elected officials and normal passengers. The key: the promise to reduce the carbon footprint by 70%.
Is an aircraft with a much lower carbon footprint than currently possible? Two days before the opening of COP28 in Dubai, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 will make history. For the first time, an airliner will connect London to New York using biofuel. On board, classic passengers who have paid for their ticket, but also scientists, elected officials and bosses of the airline sector. This demonstration flight has received all authorizations from British civil aviation and whose carbon footprint will be reduced by approximately 70%.
A new easy-to-use fuel
“We have biofuels which are now mature”, underlines Florence Delprat-Jannaud, of IFP Energies nouvelles, at the microphone of Europe 1. Big plus of this technology, the device did not need to be modified to fly with this fuel.
“These biofuels can be incorporated without having to change the engine. So, they can be used immediately without having to change the fuel distribution device either,” continues Florence Delprat-Jannaud.
A sector still in its infancy
For the airline industry, this flight represents a major step towards successfully decarbonizing the sector, even if there are still many questions: the production sector is still in its infancy and for the moment, biofuels cost at least four times more expensive than kerosene.
During this flight, another full-scale test will take place: that of software that helps combat condensation trails, the white smoke left by planes, which contributes to global warming. By avoiding certain wet areas, they can be greatly reduced.
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