Airbus poised for alternative fuel first with A380 demonstration flight

Airbus aims to steal Boeing’s thunder this week with an alternative fuels demonstration flight by an A380.

Full details are expected to be revealed by Airbus on Friday 1 February, when Flight understands the demonstration will be flown at the Filton plant near Bristol by an A380 test aircraft powered by a gas-to-liquid (GTL) kerosene mix.

The trial is part of Airbus’s studies into alternative fuels, with the airframer having announced the GTL project at last year’s Dubai air show in conjunction with a team that includes Shell, Qatar Airways and Rolls-Royce.

The demonstration comes as Virgin Atlantic and Boeing prepare to undertake a biofuel demonstration flight in February using a 747-400 fueled between London and Amsterdam.

Airbus declines to comment specifically about the demonstration. It says: “We have progressed in our alternative fuels studies, and will make announcements when we reach our milestones.”

Source: FlightGlobal.com