Dismisses Airline's Use Of Alternative Fuels At ITM Conference In Scotland

The CEO of budget carrier Ryanair said Thursday at the ITM conference in Scotland that the use of biofuels by airlines is a "PR stunt."

Buying Business Travel reports that, in a speech at the International Technical Meeting conference, Michael O'Leary said that "the idea that you grow food with great cost and turn it into fuel is just nuts." He said that the idea that the world is has "passed peak point with oil has proven to be wrong."

O'Leary discounted flights that have used a blend of standard and alternative fuels as a public relations move to "appeal to some middle-aged, middle-classed person worrying about the future. Nobody is flying around the world on aircraft powered by biofuel. It's generally all powered by kerosene."

O'Leary said that Ryanair is Europe's "leanest and greenest airline" with the youngest, most fuel-efficient fleet. Because of that, he said, they produce fewer CO2 emissions than other airlines. "But other than that I don't really care about all that stuff."

He also said that taxing air travel based on environmental issues is a "flawed policy."

FMI: www.ion.org/itm/