Qatar
Middle Eastern airline Qatar Airways could be considering flying aircraft fueled by natural gas. Emirates Today reports that the airline is in talks with Shell and engine manufacturers Rolls Royce and General Electric regarding the feasibility of operating their aircraft commercially using natural gas. Feasability might be an understatement though with Qatar Airways General Manager quoted as saying, “Engineers and scientists are working tirelessly to make this happen and it will happen.”[NGV Global emphasis].
It won’t be the first time that aircraft have flown using natural gas.
The world’s largest aircraft, the Russian built Antonov AN225 has flown
on natural gas on an experimental basis and the Brazilians have
experimented with light aircraft. If the Qatar project gets off the
ground, it would be the first commercial operation of natural gas
fueled aircraft.
