Australian airline Qantas Airways recently announced that its Los Angeles-based aircraft will be powered by biofuel from 2020 onwards. Reportedly, the announcement came in the wake of a commercial agreement with US-based bio-energy company SG Preston.

Over the next decade, Qantas Airways will be purchasing eight million gallons, i.e. 30 million litres, of renewable jet fuel each year, which will consist of 50 per cent out of non-food plant oils blended with 50 per cent traditional jet fuel. Compared to standard jet fuel, the biofuel emits half the amount of carbon emissions per gallon over its life cycle. The chief executive officer of Qantas International and Freight, Gareth Evans, stated that the commercial biofuel agreement is the first of its kind in the Australian aviation history.