“We are proud to take part in this innovative, collective endeavour that over time, will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality through the use of greener fuels,” said Glenn Tilton, ATA Board Chairman and UAL Corporation Chairman, President and CEO. “This transaction promises to be the first of many such green fuel purchase agreements by the commercial aviation industry. It exemplifies the ongoing commitment of airlines and energy suppliers to diversify our fuel sources while contributing to a cleaner environment and adding new jobs to the economy.”

The agreement was signed with synthetic fuel specialist Rentech and Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG), a global provider to airlines and airports of ground, fuel, cargo and airport facility services. The renewable fuel, called RenDiesel, will be produced at the commercial-scale facility that Rentech is developing in Rialto, California, primarily from woody green waste such as grass clippings.

The fuel is expected to have a low carbon footprint and minimal particulate and other emissions, while meeting or exceeding all applicable fuel standards.

The airlines declined to reveal further details of the contract such as the price per gallon they were expecting to pay for the synthetic fuel and whether it would be cheaper or more expensive than the conventional fuel it was replacing.

“This collaborative effort is yet another environmentally friendly initiative that we and the airlines are pursuing at Los Angeles-area airports,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, Executive Director of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “It shows what we can accomplish by working together towards a common and necessary goal.”

“The low-emissions profile and near-zero carbon footprint of our renewable RenDiesel will guarantee that the LAX ground service vehicles using this fuel will be among the cleanest and greenest of their kind,” said D. Hunt Ramsbottom, Rentech’s President and CEO. “We expect this agreement to serve as a model for future supply relationships at other airports and for other fuels, including Rentech’s synthetic jet fuel, which was recently approved for commercial airline use.”

In a BNET article last month, Ramsbottom stated that meeting California’s own renewable targets would require the blending in of 75,000 to 100,000 barrels a day of renewable fuel. “It will be a big market,” he said. “We will need to do 100 Rialto-sized plants to have one percent of the market for biomass. And keep in mind that a single [major] domestic airline uses 2.5 billion gallons of jet fuel per year. The challenge is getting to scale.”

The test was conducted during a normal, scheduled flight from Paris to Miami, using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

AIRE is the first large-scale environmental initiative bringing together aviation players from both sides of the Atlantic, with partners including the FAA, the European Commission, Boeing, Airbus, various air navigation service providers and a number of airlines.

“It is critical that the aviation industry works with our air traffic control partners to demonstrate the benefits of NextGen technology today,” said Bob Reding, American’s Executive Vice President – Operations. “By implementing this technology as quickly as possible, we can make real and meaningful strides to reduce our impact on the environment, increase system capacity and reduce air traffic delays.”

AIRE was designed to speed up the application of new technologies and operational procedures that can have a direct impact on reducing emissions and noise pollution, as well as conserving fuel. Part of the project includes gate-to-gate flight demonstrations to test the benefits of technologies that will be used with the FAA’s NextGen air traffic management system.

The American Airlines flight was expected to conduct several fuel conservation measures, including single-engine taxi on departure and arrival, continuous climb out and descent, optimized routing over water and a ‘tailored arrival’. The carrier says that several of these procedures are already key elements of its ongoing Fuel Smart fuel conservation programme. American says it aims to save 120 million gallons of jet fuel this year and reduce its carbon emissions by 2.5 billion pounds (1.13 million tonnes), up from 110 million gallons and 2.3 billion pounds in 2008.

Post-flight data analysis by the FAA, European Commission and the airline will determine the fuel and carbon savings gained on the demonstration flight. The FAA and American will then conduct a two-month trial in Miami to continue testing the next-generation technology and procedures.

For more information, check out: American Airlines – Fuel Smart.

Since June of 2008, Aerotica has been providing bio-diesel in addition to its sales of aviation and jet fuel. The bio-diesel is produced from a mixture of recycled vegetable and cooking oils, and can be run in any vehicle accustomed to diesel.

NatureAir is the first airline in Central America to run its entire ground operations equipment and fleet of diesel vehicles off of this biodegradable fuel. This alternative fuel is estimated to reduce nearly 49,256 gallons of CO2 emissions per year.

“This program is an important milestone in NatureAir’s dedication to protecting the environment and conserving our nature resources,” said NatureAir Founder and CEO Alex E. Khajavi. “We wanted to do something beyond our carbon-neutrality airline program. The world’s natural resources are precious and this alternative fuel program is a step in the right direction to keeping our air and waters healthy.”

A majority of the recycled vegetable oil comes from NatureAir employees, each of whom were given their own canisters for collecting cooking oil in their homes to later bring the previously discarded oil to Aerotica where it is then converted to bio-diesel. The fuel helps keep the country’s waters free from pollution, significantly reduces smog production, and keeps vehicle motors cleaner than regular diesel or gasoline.

Currently Aerotica is a private fueling station for only personal company distribution and use but with the help of the Costa Rican government that may soon change. NatureAir is in talks with the government to be able to open Aerotica bio-fuel sales to other Costa Rican companies.

“Aerotica has been selling regular gasoline for over 50 years, therefore it was a proud day when we were able to bring the next generation of sustainable and responsible fuel to Costa Rica. While we may be the first to use bio-diesel, we certainly hope other companies will soon have the capabilities to run their vehicles off of cleaner and less expensive sources of energy,” said Mr. Khajavi.

NatureAir is the world’s first certified carbon neutral airline, and the fastest growing regional airline in Central America. Since its inception in 2000, NatureAir has grown from flying 18,000 passengers annually to more than 140,000 in 2008. The company got its start with one plane and 17 employees. Now it has a fleet of eight planes and more than 150 employees. NatureAir is the only twin-engine airline in Costa Rica with both scheduled and chartered flights, and offers 74 daily flights to 17 destinations in Costa Rica, and Panama. The Rainforest Alliance, Conde Nast Traveler and Virgin Holidays have recognized NatureAir for its sustainability efforts, as100% of its carbon emissions from flight operations are offset through conservation and reforestation. NatureAir is the exclusive Central American airline for the best hotels and tour operators worldwide. It is known for its award winning on-time performance and its staff’s adventurous spirits. For more information visit: www.natureair.com.

To learn more about NatueAir’s bio-diesel efforts visit its Nature Blog.