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Air Canada announced this week the operation of its first commercial flight with a biofuel powered plane.

The flight AC991 is a normal commercial flight provided by an A319 which engines are powered by a 50% mixture of kerosene and biofuel derived from traditional cooking oil. This mixture was supplied by SkyNRG re-certified compliant jet fuel, and can be safely used without modifications to aircraft systems.

This flight with the aircraft manufacturer Airbus is part of an environmental project by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Air Canada expects a reduction of at least 40% of emissions from flight AC991 Toronto-Mexico City through the use of a jet fuel derived from recycled cooking oil combined with other measures of fuel economy.

“Air Canada fully accepts its responsibility to reduce its footprint and our first flight using biofuel tangibly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the environment. Since 1990 our airline has become 30 per cent more fuel efficient and we are determined to increase these gains through cutting-edge measures such as those being showcased with this Toronto-Mexico City flight, our greenest ever,” said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada. “The flight, supported by Airbus, will link with other biofuel flights from Canada to Rio de Janeiro arranged under the auspices of ICAO to underscore the aviation industry’s commitment to the environment at the UN sustainability conference.”

“The Air Canada flight today shows that the airline industry is in a strong position to reduce emissions, said Bregier, president and CEO of Airbus. For this to become a commercial reality daily, we now need a political will to encourage the use of renewable fuels and accelerate the modernization of air traffic management. We need to explicitly state support and participation of all stakeholders in the airline industry to venture beyond the current limits. ”

The flight AC991 will be made within the framework of ICAO on “Flightpath to a Sustainable Future.” In addition to this new fuel, Air Canada will also use other techniques and has taken steps to reduce the impact of flight on the environment.