Confirmation of a biofuels test flight, to be carried out on 7th January next year, has been given by US carrier Continental Airlines this week. According to a statement issued by the airline the flight will use a two-engined Boeing 737-800 equipped with CFM International CFM56-7B engines, one of which will use a 50:50 fuel blend of traditional jet fuel, and biofuel produced from algae and jatropha.

This is the latest in a series of tests by the airline industry to evaluate biofuels as a possible replacement for Jet-A fuel. In this case Continental has partnered on this project with Boeing; CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of General Electric Company and Snecma ; refining technology developer UOP ; and oil providers Sapphire Energy (algae) and Terrasol (jatropha).

"This flight represents another step in Continental's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and identifying sustainable, long-term fuel solutions for the aviation industry," said Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Larry Kellner.

The flight will operate under a specially-issued "Experimental" aircraft type certificate, the aircraft will be crewed by Continental's own FAA-licensed test pilots. With no passengers on board, the flight test plan calls for operating the No. 2 (right) engine on the special biofuel blend, including power accelerations/decelerations, in-flight engine shut-down and restart and other flight maneuvers that include both normal and non-normal procedures. Numerous flight parameters will be recorded, and a post-flight engine analysis will contribute to findings which are expected to show that the biofuel blend is readily substitutable for regular fuel without any degradation of performance or safety, and with a net reduction in carbon emissions.