LAN Airlines: first commercial flight with second generation biofuels

LAN Airlines made ​​on 21 August 2013, a first commercial flight in Colombia using this new type of biofuel.

The flight was operated by an Airbus A320 between Colombian cities of Bogota and Cali. The fuel that was used from a plant called camelina. The second-generation biofuels are the successors of the current biofuels (called first generation). Using only non-edible parts of plants and agricultural waste, second-generation biofuels made ​​from lignin and cellulose are expected to occur on the same acreage, both food and energy .

The plane took off at 10:00 local time Bogota El Dorado International Airport with 174 passengers on board en route to the city of Cali. This flight is "an important commitment that not only contributes to the development of the aviation industry in the country, but can also have a positive impact on the stimulation of the agricultural industry and enable a quantum leap in exports in Colombia "said Sylvia Escovar, Terpel President of the Colombian oil company that supplied the biofuel LAN Airlines.

According to the leaders of LAN Airlines and Terpel Colombia is favorable to the production of biofuels, because of its climate, the availability of areas for culture and geography. The country also has a regulatory framework that stimulates the production and commercialization of biofuels.