Japan Airlines, Eneos sign sustainable aviation fuel agreement

Japan Airlines announced Aug. 2 that it and Eneos Corp. have signed an agreement on the sale and purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to accelerate its early implementation in Japan.

Under this agreement, Eneos will become the first Japanese leading energy company to import SAF and supply it to Japan Airlines, which is actively procuring SAF both in Japan and overseas.

In the aviation industry, the International Civil Aviation Organization has set a goal to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions from international flights by 2050 and aims to reduce emissions in the international aviation sector by 15 percent compared to 2019 levels starting from 2024.

To accelerate the decarbonization of the aviation industry, the promotion of domestically produced SAF is crucial.

Arrival of the SAF import vessel at the Eneos Kashima Refinery dock. (Photo: Japan Airlines)

As a first step towards this goal, both companies have agreed to promote the establishment of a domestic SAF supply chain through this agreement.

Moving forward, Japan Airlines and Eneos will continue to work together to promote the widespread use of SAF in Japan and contribute to the decarbonization of the aviation industry.

In addition to updating to more fuel-efficient aircraft, Japan Airlines is actively procuring SAF both domestically and internationally to achieve the goal of replacing 1 percent of its total fuel on board with SAF by fiscal-year 2025 and 10 percent by fiscal-year 2030.

Furthermore, Japan Airlines is working to expand the recognition of the environmental value of SAF through the “JAL Corporate SAF Program,” which certifies the environmental value of CO2 reductions created by using SAF to corporate customers who use Japan Airlines flights in Japan.

As stated in the Eneos Group’s long-term vision, Eneos is taking on the challenge of achieving both a stable supply of energy and materials and the realization of a carbon-neutral society.

As a part of this effort, Eneos is building an integrated system for SAF, from raw-materials procurement to in-house manufacturing and sales.