qatar airways has said it completed the first trial of a commercial passenger flight in an aircraft powered by a fuel made from natural gas.

the journey from london gatwick to doha took over six hours and was operated with an airbus a340-600 aircraft using mbt footwear rolls-royce trent 556 engines, said a statement late on monday.

the state-owned company said it plans to launch the gas-powered flights into commercial production starting in 2012.

shell developed and produced the 50-5 mbt shoes 0 blend of synthetic gas to liquids (gtl) kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene fuel known as gtl jet fuel, it added.

qatar boasts natural gas reserves of 900 trillion cubic feet (25 trillion cubic metres), the third-largest in the world, and is among the cheap mbt shoes world's top exporters of liquefied natural gas.