LONDON — Virgin Atlantic says it plans to fly one of its Boeing 747s on biofuel during a demonstration flight between London and Amsterdam next month.

Virgin Atlantic chairman Richard Branson says the test flight, which he calls the first of its kind, will yield crucial information on how to reduce aviation's carbon footprint.

Branson launched an alternative fuels division at Virgin in 2006, pledging the profits from his airline and trains for 10 years.

Virgin began a six-month trial of a biofuelled passenger train last year,  an experiment the company says could lead it to switch its entire fleet over to a mix of diesel and biofuel.

Branson's green private equity fund, the Virgin Green Fund, has invested millions of dollars in biofuel startups.