All Nippon Airways (ANA) has announced the launch of its “SAF Flight Initiative”, a new and dedicated program aimed to promote sustainability and reduce CO2 emissions.

ANA said the initiative is designed to promote Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by collaborating with leading companies in this area, and is its latest effort to decrease its carbon footprint and adhere to the guidelines established by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as meet ANA Group’s environmental commitments announced in April 2021.

"The SAF Flight Initiative builds on ANA’s past work in this area and aims to work with leading partners across a range of industries, supporting their efforts to reduce emissions in the value chains as well as to expand the production and use of SAF," the Japanese carrier said in a statement.

It added that Nippon Express Co., Ltd., Kintetsu World Express, Inc. and Yusen Logistics Co., Ltd. have announced that they will participate in the SAF Flight Initiative, a sign of the increasing appeal of SAF in the aviation industry.

First SAF cargo flight

ANA conducted a SAF-powered cargo flight with these three major logistics and cargo companies on September 29, the first flight by a Japanese airline to conduct a joint operation using SAF.

"ANA has long been a leader in advancing sustainability in the airline industry, and this fuel initiative further demonstrates our ability to meet the demands of society. As SAF will play a major role in reducing carbon emissions, we will continue looking for ways to accelerate its adoption," said Yuji Hirako, president & chief executive officer of ANA.

"At ANA, we recognize that preserving our environment requires that we build broad coalitions committed to achieving a common goal, and we will continue to work with partners to help them reduce their carbon footprint in line with our own ambitious targets," Hirako added.

ANA noted that it is following the standards initially outlined in the GHG Protocol which requires companies to reduce all emissions, even those which are indirectly generated from activities outside of their core business.

In addition to the programs for logistics and freight customers, ANA said it will also expand the offering for its corporate customers to include more companies in the program.