Alliance partners Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand have today announced the findings of their investigation into commercially viable biofuel sources within Australasia.

In March 2016, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia issued a joint Request for Information (RFI) to the market to investigate options for locally produced aviation biofuel.

The airlines have now completed an extensive review of more than 30 responses received from organisations in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Europe.

Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia will now work with short-listed companies on strengthening the commercial case for investment.

Air New Zealand Head of Sustainability Lisa Daniell says the airlines achieved their key objectives in testing market readiness and gaining a better understanding of potential supply opportunities.

“The RFI has helped stimulate industry dialogue on the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the Australasian region.  Importantly, the process has also greatly expanded our understanding of the technologies and processes involved and the potential timeframes to scale up to the volumes required,” says Ms Daniell. 

Virgin Australia Head of Sustainability Robert Wood says: “There is clear interest and potential to produce sustainable aviation fuel in this region, and we will now undertake further detailed exploration in order to reach significant commercial scale.  We remain optimistic about the potential of biofuel to achieve significant carbon emissions reductions in the medium-term.”