First flight of algae–fuelled jet

A US airline has completed the first test flight of a plane partly powered by biofuel derived from algae. The 90-minute flight by a Continental Boeing 737-800 went better than expected a spokesperson said.

One of its engines was powered by a 50-50 blend of biofuel and normal aircraft fuel. Wednesday's test is the latest in a series of demonstration flights by the aviation industry which hopes to be using biofuels within five years.

The flight was the first by a US carrier to use an alternative fuel source and the first in the world to use a twin-engine commercial aircraft (rather than a four-engine plane) to test a biofuel blend. The flight from Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport completed a circuit over the Gulf of Mexico and pilots carried out a series of tests at 38000ft (11.6km) including a mid-flight engine shutdown.

The airplane performed perfectly test pilot Rich Jankowski told the Houston Chronicle newspaper. There were no problems. It was textbook.