SpiceJet successfully tests India’s first biofuel-powered flight

SpiceJet today successfully operated “India’s first ever biojet fuel flight” which took off from Dehradun and landed at the airport in Delhi.   the national capital. The SpiceJet flight, a Bombardier Q400 aircraft, partially using biojet fuel, was powered with a blend of 75 per cent air turbine fuel (ATF) and 25 per cent biojet fuel, it said.

“The advantage of using biojet fuel as compared to ATF is that it reduces carbon emissions and enhances fuel efficiency. Made from Jatropha crop, the fuel has been developed by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun,” SpiceJet said in a statement.

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.

“Biojet fuel is low cost and helps in significantly reducing carbon emissions. 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,” said SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh.