Ferry Flight Conducted Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel

All Nippon Airways (ANA) received its latest passenger aircraft from the United States via a delivery flight that was conducted using a blend of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel on Oct. 30, 2019. The brand new Boeing 777-300ER was flown from Boeing’s facility in Everett, Washington to Japan, utilizing sustainable aviation fuel made from waste gas derived ethanol for the trans-Pacific flight. The success of this flight is an encouraging confirmation of ANA’s efforts to continue pushing for greater sustainability and alternative fuel sources across all of its business ventures.

ANA worked closely with LanzaTech, the producer of the ethanol derived sustainable aviation fuel, to inspect the fuel’s quality as well as ensure transport and blending the fuel for loading onto the aircraft. The success of this delivery flight is a major step toward full-scale sustainable aviation fuel use in the future.

"We are very excited by the success of the delivery flight, not just because we have added a new aircraft to our fleet but also because it represents an important milestone in our efforts to establish higher standards for ecologically conscious travel,” Said Yutaka Ito, Executive Vice President of ANA. “Our decision to prioritize the use of sustainable aviation fuels closely aligns with our vision of a world where companies proactively respond to calls for environmentally-friendly leadership. This important flight provides the insight we need to increase the use of alternative energy sources and is just one of many steps ANA is taking to meet the ambitious sustainable development goals that we have set.”

This is not the first time that ANA has utilized sustainable aviation fuel. Earlier this year, ANA purchased 70 thousand US Gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. ANA used this advanced fuel on commercial flights from San Francisco to Tokyo, leading to a reduction of its carbon footprint. ANA also signed an offtake agreement with LanzaTech, allowing ANA to purchase sustainable aviation fuel.

ANA was also selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) – a prominent Japanese public research and development body – to develop integrated production technology for sustainable aviation fuel and bring it to market. ANA was chosen after a comprehensive review process to conduct studies on the production and commercialization of LanzaTech’s sustainable aviation fuel and will work alongside Mitsui & Co., LTD. and JXTG Energy to achieve these goals. ANA and its partners will work together to construct a supply chain for sustainable aviation fuel as part of a process that is aiming to achieve large-scale commercial production of sustainable aviation fuel in Japan with ANA providing detailed research on the impact of fuels developed through this partnership.

With sustainability emerging as a crucial question for all modern businesses, ANA remains committed to upholding its values and preserving our shared home. ANA has always aimed to challenge the status quo and raise the bar in the airline industry, striving to set the standard for service, comfort and sustainability. By working with NEDO and others to develop and implement sustainable aviation fuel, ANA hopes to enhance the quality of fuel used in its aircraft as part of its sustained efforts to become the most eco-friendly airline group in the world. The success of this delivery flight is a symbol of ANA’s commitment to acting as a responsible environmental steward, and the information gained from this experience will help ease the transition to sustainable aviation fuels in the future.

(Images provided with ANA news release)

FMI: www.ana.co.jp/group/en/