Today: First transcontinental flight to use biofuel

An unprecedented transcontinental flight — powered in part by bio-combustible fuel — will carry more than 250 passengers from Mexico City to Madrid tonight. The historic flight is scheduled for takeoff at 7:20 p.m. in Mexico City (8:20 p.m. EDT).

Aeromexico, Boeing and the Mexican government have partnered to make the historic flight a reality. The plane will fly on a blend of 70 percent traditional fuel and 30 percent biofuel derived from the Jatropha curcas oilseed plant, which is being grown for aviation use in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Puebla, Veracruz, Yucatán and Michoacan.

The flight launches Aeromexico's yearlong program of commercial flights using biofuel to such destinations as San Jose, Costa Rica.