Is the globe’s alarming carbon footprint about to get smaller? Maybe, thanks to the world’s first commercial flight has using locally produced sustainable fuel on an Etihad Airways Boeing 787 plane.
The flight, from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, marks a major milestone in the development of a clean, alternative aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions.
It was the first time a flight has been operated on fuel derived from plants grown in saltwater. Although it may sound unlikely, extensive research has shown that it is both possible and safe for jet fuel to be produced using desert, land and sea water through an innovative agricultural process.
For us, what this means is that the world now have an alternative fuel that can help reduce carbon emissions.
“This is a significant milestone for the UAE and its key industries. Etihad is fully committed to this project which demonstrates a successful proof of concept that is local, viable, cost-effective and sustainable,” said Tony Douglas, the Group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group.
According to a statement from XX, the sustainable fuel for the flight was derived from oil in Salicornia plants, which were grown on a two-hectare SEAS farm in Masdar City.
This is definitely a step in the right direction if we are to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Since 2011, more than 160,000 passenger flights have flown on jets powered by blend of sustainable and traditional jet fuel.
The rise of sustainable fuel means the aviation industry can get to its goals of capping the growth of carbon emissions by 2020 and cut levels to half of what they were in 2005 by 2050.
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