Qatar Airways plane flies on gas to liquid fuel

(AFP/KARIM JAAFAR)

(AFP)

Qatar Airways has said it completed the first trial of a commercial passenger flight in an aircraft powered by a fuel made from natural gas.

The journey from London Gatwick to Doha took over six hours and was operated with an Airbus A340-600 aircraft using Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines, said a statement late on Monday.

The state-owned company said it plans to launch the gas-powered flights into commercial production starting in 2012.

Shell developed and produced the 50-50 blend of synthetic Gas to Liquids (GTL) kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene fuel known as GTL jet fuel, it added.

Qatar boasts natural gas reserves of 900 trillion cubic feet (25 trillion cubic metres), the third-largest in the world, and is among the world's top exporters of liquefied natural gas.

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