All Nippon Airways conducts Japanese flight using SAF refined from algae

Photos: All Nippon Airways

Japan’s All Nippon Airways made history this month by operating a regularly scheduled commercial domestic flight powered by blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from microalgae. The June 17 flight from Tokyo Haneda to Osaka Itami on a Boeing 787-8 aircraft was the first in the world to use SAF certified to meet ASTM D7566 Annex 7* jet fuel specifications, according to the airline. The company says it will continue to work together with partners to construct a supply chain for SAF as part of its effort to contribute to large-scale commercial production of SAF in Japan.

The SAF-fueled flight was made possible in partnership with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a prominent Japanese public research and development body, which seeks to develop integrated production technology for SAF. IHI Corp. supplied the SAF used on the flight.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Civil Aviation Bureau and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Resources’ Agency for Natural Resources and Energy led the initiative to establish and promote SAF supply chains, bringing together stakeholders in the NEDO project.

All Nippon Airways has pledged to become a carbon-neutral airline by 2050, with enhanced utilization of SAF being a key factor in achieving its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals. The company has been featured on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for four years in a row and is the only airline to receive the Gold Class rating (the highest recognition) in S&P Global’s Sustainability Awards 2021.

*ASTM D7566 Annex 7: Standard for alternative jet fuel for aviation defined by ASTM International. Annex 7 defines a liquid hydrocarbon fuel obtained by hydrogenating crude oil (mainly hydrocarbon) extracted from the microalga Botryococcus braunii. IHI independently applied for the standard to ASTM and it was approved in May 2020.