The Costa Rican government and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are joining to combat carbon dioxide emissions, said the KLM press office.

KLM is the only European airline operating intercontinental flights using biofuel.

Over the coming months, the business will collaborate with the Costa Rican government in a first ever such alliance for the company to research the possibilities of flying between San José, Costa Rica and Amsterdam, The Netherlands using bio-based jet fuel

Right now, sustainable aviation fuel is the most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions and, in so doing, to make civil aviation more sustainable. On October 31, 2017, KLM and the Costa Rican government signed a letter of intent to ratify the cooperation. This is the first time in the world that an airline has entered into an agreement of this kind with a country.

“This cooperative effort is a new step in making civil aviation more sustainable. The greater the supply of biofuels, the lower the price will be and the more businesses will use it. KLM and Costa Rica are taking the lead, now. It would be great if other airlines, governments, and the entire biofuel supply chain took such steps,” said René de Groot, chief operating officer of the forward looking company at the signing.

In the months to come, KLM will share its knowledge and expertise with the Costa Rican government in close cooperation with its partner SkyNRG.

In 2009, KLM operated its first flight using biofuel, with observers on board. In 2010, KLM became the world’s first airline to operate a commercial flight using sustainable biofuel. But, soon after in 2010, the first commercial flight followed.

KLM has operated more than a thousand flights using bio-based jet fuel to such places as Paris, Rio de Janeiro from New York, and also to Oslo.

“For Costa Rica, a country seeking to achieve carbon neutrality, it is very important to ally with KLM. The company is concerned about the environment and is a worldwide example in the use of biofuels. Thank you for taking the lead and for showing other companies around the world that you can change business practices for good of the planet,” said Costa Rican Minister of Environment and Energy Edgar Gutierrez Espeleta.

KLM founded SkyNRG and initiated its KLM corporate biofuel program to stimulate the demand for sustainable biofuel. KLM has been operating all of its flights from Los Angeles partially with sustainable biofuel since 2012.

In this way, KLM can reduce its CO2 emissions by as much as 80 percent compared to using only fossil fuels.

The market for sustainable biofuel, however, is far from mature, so the price is still three times higher than that of fossil fuel.

KLM only purchases biofuels made from raw materials that have no negative environmental impact on biodiversity or food production. KLM is currently using sustainable biofuel made from used cooking oil, clarified the company.