Dear Mike, I think that the Virgin Airlines test with biofuel is really nothing more than a publicity stunt. I can’t see it being taken seriously by the aviation industy on the whole because not only would it cause deforestation for the production of oil rich plants, it would also mean the mass commandeering of arable land for the same purpose. At the same time that we are seeing an increase of the demand for food in China by some 20%-30%, the worlds resourses are already hard pushed to cope.

Any real fuel alternative will have to come from the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen (a technology that is already being seriously tested by NASA). With this option there are three important facts to note. One, is that the by using this technology your by product will be water, that’s right, the very same substance that you used to start off with. Two, is that there will have to be an about turn in the approach to fuel at large, (so there won’t be fat cat industrial magnets making a killing on carbon fuel!). At best there will be companies suplying distillation and desalination services. These could even be in place at airports.

The main problem for any new step like this is to overcome the lobby of interested parties who would fight hard to resist change. Change will come, the question is when and at what cost.