Virgin to demo biofuel flight with 747

Virgin Atlantic has revealed that it is to make a biofuel-powered flight with a Boeing 747 aircraft next month.

The test flight - which will not carry any passengers - will represent the first time a commercial plane has made use of biofuel in such a way, running from Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam as part of a scheme developed with Boeing and GE Aviation.

Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, said the test flight will help the airline to bring forward the regular use of biofuel for flights.

"The demonstration flight next month will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint," he commented.

Virgin Atlantic already offers inflight carbon offsetting facilities for its passengers and is set to take delivery of 15 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners - which use almost 30 per cent less fuel than its current aircraft - in the future.

The airline is currently working with Boeing to develop ways of reducing carbon emissions on the ground as well as in the air.

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