Japan's ANA becomes Neste's first Asian airline customer and starts SAF-fuelled flights from Tokyo
Wed 11 Nov 2020 – Finnish sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Neste, which has ambitions to becoming one of the world’s biggest suppliers to the sector, has signed its first agreement with an Asian airline. The mid-to-long term collaboration with All Nippon Airways (ANA) started with SAF-fuelled commercial flights from Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports late last month. On November 6, an ANA flight from Haneda to Houston, Texas, was the first international commercial flight departing from Japan to use SAF. The delivery of SAF was made possible through a collaboration and logistics coordination between Neste and the Japanese trading house Itochu Corporation. The fuel from Neste is made from sustainably sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials.
“ANA takes pride in its leadership role and has been recognised as an industry leader in sustainability, and this agreement with Neste further demonstrates our ability to serve passengers while also reducing our carbon footprint,” said Yutaka Ito, Executive Vice President at ANA overseeing procurement. “While Covid-19 has forced us to make adjustments, we remain committed to meeting our sustainability goals. We recognise that preserving our environment requires humanity working together to achieve a common goal, and we are proud to be doing our part to protect our shared home. We are also pleased to report that according to the ISCC Proof of Sustainability certification, the Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel supplied in Tokyo provides approximately 90% greenhouse gas emissions reduction through its lifecycle and in its neat form compared to fossil jet fuels.”
ANA and Neste plan to expand the partnership after 2023 based on a multi-year agreement. The airline has pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions in 2050 by 50% compared to its 2005 level.
“We recognise the major role SAF has to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions of aviation, both in the short and long term. Through this new collaboration, we are enabling the supply of SAF for the first time in Asia. We are very honoured to partner with ANA and support them in achieving their ambitious sustainability goals,” said Thorsten Lange, Executive Vice President for Renewable Aviation at Neste.
Neste currently has an annual capacity of 100,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel but with refinery expansion taking place in Singapore and possible additional investment into its Rotterdam refinery, the company is expecting to have the capacity to produce around 1.5 million tons annually by 2023.
Meanwhile, Neste said it was taking seriously allegations of sustainability violations contained in a report by Profundo and commissioned by Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) that was published last week. The report alleges raw material suppliers to Neste were responsible for the deforestation of over 10,000 hectares of tropical forest since the beginning of 2019, nearly 13,000 fire alerts during the same period and other violations. Milieudefensie has demanded the EU bans the use of crop-based biofuels, including fuels made from PFAD (palm fatty acid distillate), a residue raw material used by Neste.
