A state Senate committee Thursday advanced a plan that would hike taxes on United Airlines by US$20m, despite warnings that it could raise airfares or reduce routes at Newark Liberty International. New Jersey only taxes the fuel a plane burns during taxiing and take-off. A bill sponsored by Senate president Steve Sweeney would instead tax all fuel – but only for United Airlines, which accounts for two-thirds of Newark’s air passengers. Sean Williams, senior vice president for state and local government affairs at A4A, said Newark is already the costliest airport in the nation and that this change would raise United’s fuel tax 20-fold. “That is a major tax increase,” Williams said. “And so that puts you all at substantial risk of causing costs to go up on passengers and possibly airlines to cut routes. I mean, something has to give here.” <br/>
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United Airlines said Thursday it has set a goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% over the next few decades to help reduce its carbon footprint and its dependence on fossil fuels. The carrier will invest more than US$2b a year in more fuel-efficient aircraft, expanding its use of low-carbon biofuels in daily flights and implementing ways to better conserve fuel. "This is not only good for the environment but guards against oil price instability," Aaron Stash, a United manager of environmental strategy and sustainability, said. While rivals Delta Air Lines and American Airlines cut their 2018 earnings forecasts due to an oil price spike, United raised its full-year target in July as capacity and fare increases helped it recapture about 75% of higher fuel costs. <br/>
A United Airlines Boeing 787 will fly from San Francisco to Zurich Sept 14-15 powered by a blend of biojet fuel derived from carinata, an oilseed crop that can be grown in rotation with food crops. The GE GENx-powered 787 will use a blend of 30% biofuel with conventional jet fuel. The biojet was produced by the former AltAir Fuels refinery in California, acquired in March by World Energy. Agrisoma Biosciences, a Canadian company that sells carinata seeds, partnered with United and World Energy to conduct the transatlantic commercial biofuel flight. “At 11 hours, it is the longest transatlantic biojet flight undertaken to date, and, with the fuel-efficient Boeing 787, represents the lowest carbon footprint commercial flight across the Atlantic,” Agrisoma founder & president Steve Fabijanski said. <br/>