Virgin Atlantic develops new fuel to cut pollution

Prominent airline Virgin Atlantic has announced it will cut down on pollution by utilising new bio-fuel that produces half the amount of carbon emissions as standard oil.

The carrier will join forces with Lanza Tech to produce the fuel from waste gases that are captured during the production of steel.

Bosses at the firm have said that flights between Shanghai, Delhi and London could be powered by the eco-friendly alternative within "two to three years".

The fuel is already being trialled in New Zealand and a more in-depth pilot scheme is scheduled to take place in Shanghai.

Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson believes the introduction of sustainable and scaleable fuels is vital across the airline industry.

"This partnership to produce a next generation, low-carbon aviation fuel is a major step towards radically reducing our carbon footprint," he commented.

A number of airlines - particularly in the US - have recently voiced their anger at the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme, which will force them to pay for exceeding their emissions allocation when operating in the EU.

Posted by Joseph Hutton