On Feb. 1, 2008, the Airbus A380 will launch the company's alternative fuel research program by becoming the first commercial aircraft to fly with a synthetic liquid fuel processed from gas in a three-hour flight between Filton, UK and Toulouse, France, Airbus said Friday.
The A380, today's most fuel efficient airliner, is powered by Rolls Royce (RR.LN) Trent 900 engines, while Shell International Petroleum is providing the Shell GTL Jet Fuel.
The Airbus tests are running parallel to the agreement signed in Nov. 2007 with Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Fuels, Qatar Science & Technology Park, Rolls Royce and Shell International Petroleum Company to research the potential benefits of synthetic jet fuel processed from gas, also called GTL, which stands for "gas to liquids". The findings of the tests will benefit the consortium's research.
Under Airbus' overall alternatives fuels research program, this is the first step of a long-term Airbus testing phase to evaluate viable and sustainable alternative fuels for the future.
GTL could be available at certain locations to make it a practical and viable drop-in alternative fuel for commercial aviation in the short term.
GTL has attractive characteristics for local air quality, as well as some benefits in terms of aircraft fuel burn relative to existing jet fuel. For instance, it is virtually free of sulfur. Synthetic fuel can be made from a range of hydrocarbon source material including natural gas or organic plant matter made by a process called Fischer-Tropsch.