The Airbus A320 of LAN airlines is seen at the Alfonso Bonilla Aragon airport after finishing Colombia's first commercial biofuel flight in Cali, Colombia, on August 21, 2013.
An operator of the Alfonso Bonilla Aragon airport receives passengers of Colombia's first commercial biofuel flight in Cali, Colombia, on August 21, 2013. LAN Airlines launched on Wednesday its first commercial flight from Bogota to Cali using biofuel of the second generation, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, according to local media. (Xinhua/Jhon Paz)
A biofuel sample is shown to passengers of Colombia's first commercial biofuel flight in Cali, Colombia, on August 21, 2013. LAN Airlines launched on Wednesday its first commercial flight from Bogota to Cali using biofuel of the second generation, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, according to local media. (Xinhua/Jhon Paz)
LAN Airlines launched on Wednesday its first commercial flight from Bogota to Cali using biofuel of the second generation, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, according to local media. [Photo: Xinhua/Jhon Paz]
A flight attendant turns back on Colombia's first commercial biofuel flight in Cali on August 21, 2013. LAN Airlines launched on Wednesday its first commercial flight from Bogota to Cali using biofuel of the second generation, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, according to local media. (Xinhua/Jhon Paz)
Airline LAN Colombia on Wednesday carried out the South American country's first biofuel-powered commercial flight, opening a new chapter in its bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The flight, which took some 170 passengers from the capital to Cali, a city in southwestern Colombia, was a "milestone," said Ignacio Cueto, CEO of LAN Airlines, the parent company of LAN Colombia.
The Airbus A320 of LAN airlines is seen at the Alfonso Bonilla Aragon airport after finishing Colombia's first commercial biofuel flight in Cali, Colombia, on August 21, 2013. LAN Airlines launched on Wednesday its first commercial flight from Bogota to Cali using biofuel of the second generation, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, according to local media. (Xinhua/Jhon Paz)
"LAN aims to develop sustainable biofuels for commercial flights that have high potential ... in South America, and this is undoubtedly another significant sign for the industry's future," Cueto said.
"The renewable energy sources play a significant role in global aviation and will increasingly mark the decision-making in the sector, and in our company," the LAN chief added.
The Bogota-Cali route, said Cueto, was specifically chosen in recognition of Cali's role in pioneering biofuels production.
LAN Airlines, based in the Chilean capital of Santiago, opened its first biofuel-powered flight in March 2012, which flies between Santiago and Concepcion, another Chilean city.