But Murphy said there is not enough used cooking oil in the world to meet global aviation needs — "There are not enough fries being made," he said — and that there is a long way to go to significantly reduce airline emissions.
Air France-KLM is aiming to make 5 per cent of its fuel sustainable by 2030. It claimed to make the first regular flight with synthetic sustainable aviation fuel, from Amsterdam to Madrid, in February.
Steve Csonka, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, welcomed the move, calling sustainable fuel "critical" in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions for the whole jet-powered aviation industry. It will, he said, "represent the majority of the CO2 emissions reductions achievable by the industry over the next several decades".
Environmental organisations are pushing on other fronts. Airlines won't make enough of a dent in global emissions "just by adding a very small quantity of agrofuel or biofuel", Agathe Bounfour of the Climate Action Network in France said.
"We need a drop in air traffic in order to comply with climate goals."
A bill passed this month by France's lower house of parliament aimed to do just that, by banning domestic flights on routes that could be travelled by train in less than 2 1/2 hours. The measure drew attention in the global aviation industry, but it was watered down during parliamentary debate and now only affects a few flight routes.
- AP
