Boeing and Airbus Continue Biofuel Plane Research

Despite the sluggish economy, especially for the airlines, both Boeing and Airbus, who are pioneering two similar types of bio-jet fuels, have said that research and development will continue as planned.

Commercially available bio jet fuels are still at least a decade away, scientists say, but the average life of an aircraft is 30+ years, so aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus tend to think in terms of quarter centuries anyway.

This is why shorter term downturns in sales and the economy don't tend to hit airplane makers right away.

Boeing has projected that biofuels will be certified for jet fuel use on aircraft sometime in the next 3-5 years and that most airlines will be at least partially using them by then. Airbus predicts that by 2025, at least 1/4 of the fuel used by airlines will be bio-based.

Most of these projects assume that production of the biofuels will be on a large enough scale to supply that demand. Both aircraft makers are working with biofuel producers to meet those needs.