ANA Trials Zero Carbon Emissions in Hiroshima

Jiji Press

17:45 JST, May 2, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese airline All Nippon Airways said Monday it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from all domestic flights to and from Hiroshima Airport to effectively zero until the end of this month.

The project comes as the western Japan city of Hiroshima hosts a summit of leaders from the Group of Seven advanced economies in May 19-21.

Under the project, Japanese energy companies Inpex Corp. and Idemitsu Kosan Co. will cooperate to offer fuel with carbon emissions offset by purchases of carbon credits for the ANA Holdings Inc. unit.

It is the first supply of such fuel to a Japanese airline. All Nippon Airways plans to assess the effects and problems of use of such fuel as a way to reduce emissions.

All Nippon Airways operates 22 domestic flights a day, or 682 a month, using Hiroshima Airport, consuming some 3,000 tons of fuel and emitting about 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide, according to the airline.

In the aviation industry, sustainable aviation fuel made of materials such as waste cooking oil is regarded as a trump card for reducing emissions. Still, such fuel is in extremely limited supply globally and expensive at the moment.

An All Nippon Airways official said that reducing carbon emissions using carbon credits is “a realistic measure that can be taken right now.”

The ANA group aims to reduce carbon emissions from aircraft to below fiscal 2019 levels in fiscal 2030 and to effectively zero in fiscal 2050.