The flight is a joint project of Barthe Cortes BVC boss , Sir Richard Brosman Virgin Group boss , GE and Boeing Aircraft and

BVC Kenya and Virgin makes biofuel flight

The world's first Airplane transporter to burn biofuel successfully flew from Nairobi (Kenya) to Marrakesh (Marocco), and other airlines are poised to follow in its wake. One of the engines was fueled by a mixture that included 25% biofuel made from babassu palm nut and coconut oil, among other natural oils.

Air New Zealand is among the companies looking to follow suit, according to the New Zealand Herald. Its fuel of choice may be derived from algae grown in sewage ponds or jatropha, a "woody plant that can grow on barren, marginal land."

Still, as Greenpeace pointed out, high-altitude emissions are still a concern for global warming, regardless of the fuel source.

The flight is a joint project of Barthe Cortes - BVC boss , Sir Richard Brosman -Virgin Group boss , GE and Boeing Aircraft and is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of alternative fuels for aviation. If successful, analysts believe the technology which is part of GE's ecomagination program, could cut aircraft fuel consumption by as much as 5% to 10%. ?Aviation is getting a lot of attention right now for its impact on global warming,? said Kelly Fletcher, advanced technology leader of sustainable energy technologies at the GE research center.

Biofuels are clean in terms of nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. While the biofuel demonstration may be just months away, GE researchers are also working on a number of other projects, all intended to make aircraft more efficient, quieter and cleaner.

However, much remains to be done, and test flights are still at least five years away, GE scientists have said, with ground applications in such areas as power generation coming first.

(added: 17:18, 22 January 2009)