Airlines for America (A4A) Commends the U.S. Navy for its Ongoing Commitment to Biofuels, 'Great Green Fleet' Demonstration

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WASHINGTON, July 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today commended the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its ongoing commitment to development and use of biofuels in its "Great Green Fleet" demonstration, which included flights powered by advanced biofuels.

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"This initiative builds the momentum to turn advanced aviation biofuels into reality, enhance America's energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating jobs," said Sharon Pinkerton, A4A Senior Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Policy. "The government support of new military and commercial flights moves us closer to our goal of making the fuels commercially viable and builds on the industry's impressive environmental record."

The Great Green Fleet demonstration is an important milestone in the Navy's testing and certification program of 50/50 blends of advanced biofuel and aviation gas in aircraft. A4A remains committed to doing its part through ongoing initiatives, including the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), the Strategic Alliance for Alternative Fuels with the U.S. military, and the Farm-to-Fly program with the USDA and Boeing, to further the development and deployment of sustainable alternative aviation fuels.

Deployment of commercially viable alternative fuels is one of the measures supporting the set of targets collectively established by the aviation industry to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions under a global sectoral approach, including a commitment to carbon-neutral growth from 2020. By investing billions of dollars in fuel-saving aircraft and engines, innovative technologies and advanced avionics, the U.S. airline industry improved its fuel efficiency by 120 percent between 1978 and 2011, resulting in emissions savings equivalent to taking 22 million cars off the road each of those years.

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Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and nearly 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesdotorg.

SOURCE Airlines for America