British Airways backs Cranfield Project

U.K.’s flagship carrier, British Airways (BA), together with Airbus, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, is backing Cranfield University’s pioneering project to commercially produce jet fuel from algae. The Sustainable Use of Renewable Fuels (SURF) was announced at the Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva. Other members of the consortium include Rolls Royce, Finnair, Gatwick Airport and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The Cranfield project follows British Airways’ recent announcement that it plans to establish Europe’s first sustainable jet-fuel plant and plans to use the low-carbon fuel to power part of its fleet from 2014. The new fuel will be derived from waste biomass and will be manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility that can convert a variety of waste materials, destined for landfill, into aviation fuel. (September 20, 2010)