India's first ever biofuel flight, operated by SpiceJet, completed its maiden trip on Monday, August 27. A 78-seater aircraft Bombardier Q400 aircraft, partially using biojet fuel, took off from Dehradun and landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.
The fuel was developed by CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) in Dehradun. It contained 75 percent aviation turbine fuel and 25 percent biofuel and has been made out of Jatropha crop.
"Historic day for the country's #aviation and energy sector as India's first #Biofuel-powered flight lands in Delhi, covering the distance between #Dehradun & Delhi; The #Biofuel is developed by Indian Institute of Petroleum," tweeted public broadcaster Doordarshan.
According to reports in Zee News, around 20 people, including officials from aviation regulator DGCA and SpiceJet, were in the test flight. The duration of the flight was around 25 minutes, according to an airline executive.
Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu, Dharmendra Pradhan, Dr Harsh Vardhan and Jayant Sinha were at the Delhi airport when the flight landed.
"Happy that SpiceJet is setting a precedent by exploring Bio Jetfuel-powered aerial operations using a blend of 75% of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) & 25% of Bio Jet fuel. This may reduce carbon emissions by over 15%. A 100% BioJet fuel usage will reduce 60-70% of carbon emission," tweeted civil aviation minister Prabhu.
"It has the potential to reduce our dependence on traditional aviation fuel by up to 50 per cent on every flight and bring down fares," SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said.
