BEIJING, March 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing
[NYSE:BA], Hainan Airlines and Sinopec today celebrated
China's first passenger flight
with sustainable aviation biofuel, a key environmental milestone
for China's commercial aviation
industry.
The regularly scheduled Hainan Airlines flight – which carried
more than 100 passengers from Shanghai to Beijing in a Next-Generation 737-800 – used
biofuel made by Sinopec from waste cooking oil collected from
restaurants in China. Both of the
airplane's CFM International CFM56-7B engines were
powered by a fuel blend of approximately 50 percent aviation
biofuel mixed with conventional petroleum jet fuel.
"We are honored to see our airplane fly on sustainable aviation
biofuel from Shanghai to our
nation's capital," said Pu Ming, vice president of Hainan Airlines,
who piloted the plane. "As a fast-growing domestic and
international carrier, Hainan Airlines is demonstrating our
environmental commitment by showing that aviation biofuel can play
a safe and effective role in China's air transport system."
"Boeing is proud to advance its decades-long partnership with
China by collaborating closely
with Hainan Airlines and Sinopec to achieve this significant
milestone," said Ian Thomas,
president, Boeing China. "We thank and congratulate our partners,
whose teamwork, vision and commitment to sustainable aviation are
helping to improve our industry and our environment for the long
term."
Sustainably produced biofuel, which reduces carbon emissions by
50 to 80 percent compared to petroleum through its lifecycle, is
expected to play a key role in supporting aviation's growth while
meeting environmental goals. The Boeing Current Market Outlook has
forecast that China will require
6,020 new airplanes by 2033 to meet fast-growing passenger demand
for domestic and international air travel.
"We are very pleased to work together with Hainan Airlines,
China National Aviation Fuel and Boeing to accomplish this
remarkable flight, which is a milestone," said Sinopec spokesperson
Lv Dapeng. "For many years, Sinopec has maintained a leadership
role in China in terms of the
development and application of biomass fuel including aviation
biofuel and bio-diesel. This fully represents an earnest commitment
from Sinopec to continuously advance scientific and technological
innovation and promote green and low-emission development."
In China, Boeing collaborates
with a wide range of stakeholders to develop a new sustainable
aviation biofuel industry. In 2011, Air China conducted
China's first aviation biofuel
test flight in a Boeing 747-400 using China-grown, jatropha-based biofuel. Boeing
also partners with the Commercial Aviation Corp. of China (COMAC) and several research
institutions, including Chinese Academy of Science's Qingdao
Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), on
aviation biofuel development.
Boeing also works with airlines, research institutions,
governments and other stakeholders to develop sustainable aviation
biofuel in the United States,
Africa, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Japan
and the Middle East.
For more information, visit
http://www.boeing.com/environment/
Contact:
Michelle
Mei
Boeing China Communications
Tel: +86(10)59255507
Michelle.Mei@boeing.com
Jessica Kowal
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Environment Communications
+1-206-660-6849
jessica.m.kowal@boeing.com
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SOURCE Boeing