In a First, Air France Flights Fueled by Cooking Oil Heads to Canada

An Air France flight bound for Montreal took off from Paris on Tuesday, starting the first long-haul journey powered by sustainable fuel made from cooking oil produced in France.

Such biofuels are expected to significantly reduce carbon dioxide levels. The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is currently produced mainly from biomass such as unused vegetable or cooking oils.

In this case, the biofuel was made with waste materials from France.

The plane's fuel tanks are filled with a mixture of kerosene and 16 per cent biofuel, said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, the assistant minister for transport, on Twitter. Airlines have been experimenting with SAF, which is currently far more expensive than just regular kerosene.

"The challenge is to produce more of it to lower the price," said Djebbari.

Air France-KLM has teamed up with the energy company Total, aircraft manufacturer Airbus and airport operator ADP in a partnership that is aimed at making air travel more environmentally friendly.

©2021 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.