Cathay Pacific to Switch to Biofuels

Cathay Pacific Airways has pledged a huge cut in climate-changing gases by going big on biofuels. The Hong Kong carrier will be one of the first airlines to switch to cleaner jet fuels on an industrial scale. The city government aims to cut annual carbon emissions in half by 2030.

Fulcrum Bioenergy, a US-based biofuel producer, and Cathay Pacific signed an agreement in 2014, helping the airline meet its biofuel supply targets. Despite the change, Cathay Pacific passengers are unlikely to see a rise in fares, because the biofuel investments since 2014 have been absorbed into the company's operating costs. However, it is too early to tell whether the switch could lower ticket prices.

Cathay Pacific planes will use fuel made from landfill trash. Many of its flights from the United States, where the fuel is being produced, will fly to Hong Kong using a half-half mix of biofuel and conventional fuel by 2019. It is on these long flights that the company expects an 80% emission reduction.