Virgin Atlantic has successfully completed the first trial of biofuel powered flight, it has been revealed.
The Boeing 747-400 took off from London Heathrow airport and arrived in Amsterdam shortly at 12.14 yesterday, the company states.
With five passengers on board, the plane reached a cruising height of 25,000 ft, powered by energy converted from a mixture of coconut oil and babassu oil.
Both oils can be found in many commercially available cosmetic products such as lip balm and shaving cream.
It is the first company to manage such a flight and Richard Branson said it is part of a pioneering effort to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation industry.
"Today marks a biofuel breakthrough for the whole airline industry. Virgin Atlantic and its partners are proving that you can find an alternative to traditional jet fuel and fly a plane on new technology, such as sustainable biofuel," he said.
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