Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), the only international cargo airline based in Japan, has for the first time used Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ for several cargo flights in November and December this year.

The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is supplied by Neste at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. 

"The flights with SAF are a result of NCA's commitment to making consistent efforts to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, including using sustainable aviation fuels," the airline said.

It added that SAF had been widely acknowledged as a key element in helping to achieve aviation’s emission reduction goals globally as it delivers the performance of conventional jet fuel but with a significantly smaller carbon footprint over the fuel’s life cycle. 

"NCA is delighted to announce that NCA has used sustainable aviation fuel supplied by Neste on its flights from Amsterdam. NCA is eagerly implementing various fuel-saving activities to reduce CO₂ emissions, and among them, using SAF is considered one of the most effective measures to reduce these emissions. Therefore, we are confident that these flights with SAF will become a big step for NCA," said Hitoshi Watanabe, vice president & general manager, Corporate Planning at NCA.

"Neste is the leading SAF producer in the world, and NCA aims to expand business activities with Neste to increase the number of flights with SAF. NCA will source SAF at all of its destinations and work hard to tackle carbon emission issues to meet various customers' demands," Watanabe added.

For his part, Sami Jauhiainen, vice president of APAC, Renewable Aviation at Neste, noted that Neste is working together with companies in the air cargo sector to help them reduce air transport-related emissions.

"We are excited that NCA has used our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel for these international flights. Our increased SAF production capacity of 1.5 million tons per annum by the end of 2023 positions us well to support the growing international SAF demand from airlines like NCA," Jauhiainen added.

Using Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% over the fuel's life cycle compared to using fossil jet fuel.

Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is produced from sustainably sourced, 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials, including used cooking oil and animal fat waste. SAF is blended with conventional jet fuel and works seamlessly with existing fueling infrastructure and aircraft engines.