Etihad uses SAF for first time at Japan’s Narita airport

The first Etihad Airways flight to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplied by ITOCHU Corporation and NESTE took off from Tokyo Narita airport recently.
The pioneering flight was the result of a partnership in which ITOCHU provided Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, making Etihad the first international airline to procure SAF in Japan.
Cassie Mackie, vice president procurement and supply chain, Etihad Airways, said: “The aviation industry needs partnerships like the one we have created with ITOCHU and NESTE to bring widespread SAF adoption to the industry.
“We are extremely proud to be the first international airline to procure and use Japanese supplied SAF on flights departing Japan and to see this partnership take to the air.”
The flight operated on a 40% blend of SAF, representing the first delivery of some 50,000 gallons of SAF, to be used over a number of flights in coming weeks.
It is the first time a non-Japanese airline has used SAF supplied in Japan.
The flight reduced CO2 by approximately 75.2 tCO2, based on the estimated fuel volume (20,000 USG) at a blend of 39.66% SAF.
The flight also managed non-CO2 environmental impacts through optimised flight planning for contrail prevention, deploying SATAVIA technology for a forecast net climate impact reduction of 71 tCO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent).
In December 2021, the Japanese government announced the goal of replacing 10% of aviation fuel consumption by Japanese airlines with SAF by 2030.
To achieve this goal, ITOCHU established a SAF supply network at Japanese domestic airports across the country for Japanese domestic carriers, which is now being expanded to international carriers, starting with Etihad.
ITOCHU has already established a domestic SAF supply chain at Haneda and Narita International airports, spanning from SAF import and quality control to delivery to airports, as well as a refuelling network for the aircrafts themselves.
ITOCHU plans to expand its SAF supply base to Central Japan International Airport and Kansai International Airport, allowing it to further increase supply of SAF to both Japanese and international airlines.