Maverick mogul Richard Branson made history on Sunday when a Virgin Atlantic 747 flew from London to Amsterdam fueled, in part, by “a biofuel mixture of coconut and babassu oil,” according to the AP:

“This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected,” Branson told the AP, adding that the flight would provide “crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint.”

Branson’s experiment comes at a time when the airline industry’s admittedly massive carbon footprint is drawing ever greater scrutiny; the European Union recently reported that greenhouse gas emissions from aviation have increased by 87 percent since 1990 and now account for about 3 percent of the EU’s total emissions.

But the debate about whether biofuels are a boon or just a boondoggle is heating up, too, as more and more studies suggest that growing biofuel crops may, in fact, make global warming worse.

One thing is certain, though; the airline industry is in dire need of alternative jet fuels that burn more efficiently and emit less pollution. Branson’s biofuel trial may or may not be a step in the right direction, but at least he’s thinking about new ways to get folks where they’re going.

Learn more about Virgin Atlantic’s Sustainability Challenge here.