Airplanes are not the world's most eco-friendly commodity. To make amends with their carbon emissions, some airlines offer CO2 offsets for passengers. On Friday, Airbus took an even bigger step with its much talked about A380; it became the first commercial airline to fly with alternative fuel on a test flight from Filton, UK to Toulouse, France.

The fancy-schmancy A380 needs no modifications in order to use gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel which is mixed with 60% regular jet fuel. Although the GTL used is no cleaner in terms of CO2 emissions, it produces no sulfur, providing for better air quality. Using alternative fuel in a commercial airliner, even at a small percentage, is also symbolically important; GTL is the first step in moving towards biomass-to-fuel (BTL), which could be concocted with anything from wood chips to industrial hemp. Maybe one day we will see airplanes running on 100% renewable resources, until then Airbus is calling its alternative fuel friendly A380 the "gentle green giant."

The first commercial use of GTL might be by Qatar Airways in 2009. Until then it might be better to consider other options for green travel.

Filed under: Airlines, News