Boeing shows off with biofuel flight across Atlantic

In a show of ingenuity, the Boeing 747-8 commercial airplane will be making a sustainably-fueled transatlantic journey – from Washington D.C. to Paris – to headline the Paris Air Show next week.

This historic feat will mark the first-ever transatlantic crossing of a commercial jetliner using renewable, biologically derived fuel.

“This historic flight is a boost to aviation’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency in all phases of our industry,” said 747-8 Vice President and General Manager Elizabeth Lund. “And the 747-8 Freighter fits in well with these efforts by bringing huge improvements in fuel efficiency, lower carbon emissions and less noise.”

The airplane’s four GE GEnx-2B engines will be powered by a blend of 15% camelina-based biofuel mixed with 85 percent traditional kerosene fuel (Jet-A). The flight is scheduled to arrive at Le Bourget Airport Monday at about 5 p.m. Paris local time (15:00 GMT) after its 4,989-mile (8,029 km, 4,335 nautical mile) trip.

Homegrown, low-maintenance innovation

Camelina, the Montana-grown plant source used to create the biofuel, does not require any modifications to the airplane, its engines or operating procedures.

The crop itself is grown in rotation with dry wheat and is one of the biofuel sources identified during a comprehensive regional analysis conducted by Boeing and others in the Northwestern U.S. as part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest project.

Boeing is also currently guiding regional biofuel assessments in Australia/New Zealand, Mexico, United Arab Emirates and China to identify potential fuel sources that don’t compete with food or fresh water resources or contribute to deforestation. The end goal is to establish regional supply chains that produce aviation biofuel for blending with Jet-A, reducing the industry’s dependency on fossil fuels.