TOYKO: All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines released a joint report on Friday, vowing to work together to realize carbon neutrality in the airline industry by 2050.

By 2030, the airline industry should replace at least 10 percent of global aviation fuel with sustainable aviation fuels, which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the joint report said.

The two major Japanese airlines said they will cooperate in the joint development of SAF.

Although efforts have been made to develop aircraft powered by electricity or hydrogen, liquid fuels will continue to be needed for midsize and large planes, the report said.

With demand for air travel expected to grow, Japan will need up to 23 million kilolitres of SAF in order to reduce its CO2 emissions effectively to zero in 2050, it said.

This is equivalent to some 200 percent of the fossil fuels Japan consumed in 2019, before the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, the amount of global SAF production stands at only 0.03 percent of demand. But the report estimated that the SAF market in Asia will expand to 22 trillion yen in 2050. 

By expanding the use of Japanese-made SAF across Asia, Japan would create “a virtuous cycle between the economy and the environment,” the report said, seeking cooperation from the Japanese government and related industries.

JIJI Press