Now, a plane that runs on biofuel ; It is a standard, run-of-the-mill Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 with unmodified General Electric CF6 engines that will run on a 20 per cent blend of biofuel.

Business Today, March, 2008 by Kushan Mitra

What is it? It is a standard, run-of-the-mill Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 with unmodified General Electric CF6 engines that will run on a 20 per cent blend of biofuel.

How far can it go? This jet will only make the 400 km run from London Heathrow to Amsterdam's Schipol.

When did it make the flight? By the time you read this, the jet would have emitted its cleaner gases into the environment

So, why is Richard Branson doing this? The airline industry has been hit hard by environmental pressure groups to cut carbon emissions. If this test is successful, expect to see biofuel blends in a plane you are in by 2010.

Will it bring the cost of air tickets down? No, but it will make you feel better about using up your Frequent Flyer Miles.

Kushan Mitra