SpiceJet tests India's first biofuel-powered flight. Will it change flying?

No-frills airline SpiceJet on Monday operated India's first test flight powered by biojet fuel, marking a new chapter in the fast-growing domestic aviation sector.

The nearly 45-minute flight from Dehradun to the national capital was operated with a Bombardier Q400 aircraft, partially powered by biojet fuel made from Jatropha plant, according to an airline official. The flight landed at around 1150 hours here.

With the test flight, India has become one of the few countries and probably the first among the developing nations to use biofuel for flying planes.

SpiceJet on Monday said it has successfully operated "India's first ever biojet fuel flight".

It also comes at a time when the airline industry is grappling with spiralling fuel prices that are impacting their profitability. However, use of biofuel for regular flights would take some time.

For the test flight, which carried 28 people, including five crew members, the aircraft's right engine was filled with 75 per cent aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and 25 per cent of biojet fuel, made from Jatropha plant, the airline official said.

GoAir international ops launch in Oct, first flight on Mumbai-Phuket route

Wadia group-owned budget carrier GoAir is all set to fly international from October, with the first flight to operate on the Mumbai-Phuket route, a source privy to the development said. 

The bookings for the maiden international flight will commence soon and an announcement to this effect is expected to be made by Thursday, the source said.

The Mumbai-based airline, which became eligible to fly overseas more than two years ago when it took delivery of its 20th aircraft, which was also the first Airbus A320 Neo for the airline, will be the fifth domestic carrier to have international operations.

"We will be launching our international operations with a flight to Phuket (Thailand) from Mumbai in October. We have all regulatory approvals in place and the flight is expected to go into the system (bookings) in a week's time," the source told PTI.

The source said the airline is looking to launch three to four international destinations by March next year, adding the proposed Mumbai-Phuket service will be a daily operation.