Virgin Airlines to Invent Biofuel for Jet Engines
Kerosene-based jet fuels are currently the only way to get large airliners flying, but airplanes are the most inefficient mode of transportation in terms of fuel burn and emissions. Richard Branson is trying to research and develop of new type of jet fuel that is derived from sustainable and renewable biofuel sources. He is getting some help from the biggest names in the business, GE Aviation and Boeing Co.
Richard Branson deduced that airplanes are a major source of global warming pollution, and that they are the only type of transport that cannot currently be operated in a sustainable way. This is why innovation is so crucial in the airline business. There is also the argument that developing and eventually selling renewable fuels for airplanes could arguably generate Richard Branson more profit than his actual airline company. In fact, if the fuel were patented and required to be used in all airplanes, the technology could be tremendously profitable for all the parties involved in its invention. Since certain types of fuels also require changes to be made to engines and aerodynamic designs of airplanes, it seems likely that manufacturers of these new airplanes will also do very well for themselves. The raw materials required for the creation of the fuel and the airplane parts will also give rise to a new source of revenue for natural resource mining and collection companies.
Of course, costs to the airlines – who would be paying both for the fuels and for the new engines and airplanes required to use it – are another issue. But that’s exactly why innovative solutions are needed, and why creative, business-savvy people like Richard Branson are leading the way forward.
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