China airline completes first flight powered by biofuel

World Today

Hainan Airlines announced it finished China’s first passenger flight with sustainable biofuel on Mar.21,2015. Credit: CCTV

China’s largest privately owned air transport company, Hainan Airlines has completed China’s first commercial flight powered by biofuel last Saturday.

Hainan Airlines announced it finished China's first passenger flight with sustainable biofuel on Mar.21,2015.

Hainan Airlines announced it finished China’s first passenger flight with sustainable biofuel on Mar.21,2015.

The flight, which carried more than 100 passengers from Shanghai to Beijing in a Boeing 737, used biofuel made by Sinopec from used cooking oil collected from restaurants in China.

The airplane’s two engines were powered by the fuel blended of approximately half biofuel and half traditional jet fuel, the company said.

“We are honored to see our flight with safe and effective biofuel,” said Pu Ming, vice president of Hainan Airlines, also the flight’s pilot.

Boeing has been collaborating with Chinese airlines to develop aviation biofuel industry. In 2011, Air China conducted China’s first test flight with aviation biofuel in a Boeing 747.

Story compiled with the information from Xinhua.