Cathay Pacific to use biofuels on select long-haul flights

Hong-Kong headquartered Cathay Pacific will start to use biofuels on select long-haul flights in an effort to cut its carbon emissions, according to a media report in the South China Morning Post.

Cathay flights to Hong Kong from the US, where the new fuel is produced, will use a combination of conventional jet fuel and biofuels starting in 2019, the South China Morning Post reported.

The airline hopes to cut emissions on those flights by 80%

"Aviation biofuels will play a key role for Cathay and the aviation industry's quest for lower emissions," Cathay Pacific biofuel manager Jeff Ovens told the Post.

The carrier had invested in the US-based sustainable biofuel developer Fulcrum BioEnergy, which converts municipal solid waste into aviation fuel, in 2014.

"These fuels will have a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels, and the pricing we have is competitive with traditional fuels, Ovens said.

Cathay and other airlines have also been facing volatile oil prices.