Running on Jatropha

Air New Zealand and Boeing plan a three-hour test-flight at the end of the year using fuel produced from jatropha, a poisonous tree which grows seeds rich in oil. The airline expects to use biofuels for 10 per cent of its fuel consumption by 2013 – one million barrels a year. The flight could mark one of the more promising – and more unusual – steps by the financially strapped airline industry to find cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel. Air New Zealand’s general manager for airline operations David Morgan is confident in the test results. “It’ll be a real milestone not only for Air New Zealand but for aviation,” Morgan said.