SINGAPORE, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Airlines (SIA) has launched its biofuel-powered flights together with Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to reduce international aviation emissions, said the two parties in a joint press release on Wednesday.
SIA and CAAS said in the statement that they have started operating a series of 12 "green package" flights over a three-month period on its non-stop San Francisco-Singapore route.
The "green package" flights that featured SIA's latest-generation and most fuel-efficient aircraft - the Airbus A350-900 - are the first in the world to combine the use of biofuels, fuel-efficient aircraft, and optimized flight operations.
The first of the 12 flights, SQ31, departed San Francisco at 11:21 a.m. San Francisco time on Monday and arrived in Singapore at 7:10 p.m. Singapore time on Tuesday with 206 passengers on board, said SIA.
Over the three-month period, flight SQ31 will be powered by a combination of hydro-processed esters and fatty acids, a sustainable biofuel produced from used cooking oils, and conventional jet fuel, SIA added.
