VIVAERO

Boeing and Mitsubishi released a study on the expansion of sustainable aviation

Boeing, Mitsubishi and an aircraft leasing company released, last Wednesday (10), a joint study that assesses the availability of sustainable raw materials in Japan, as well as technologies and policies needed to increase fuel consumption. of sustainable aviation in the Asian country.

The document identifies opportunities to scale up local production, highlighting that there are enough national raw materials to meet the 2030 target of using 10% SAF for international flights, but it faces a barrier in the lack of refining capacity for conversion to this fuel.

The report also points to the need for additional investment in technology and policy mechanisms to direct Japan's advanced raw materials, such as woody biomass, municipal solid waste and renewable electricity, into aviation and utilize their potential for production. of SAF to achieve a cost-competitive ecosystem.

Will Shaffer, president of Boeing's Japanese branch, said: “Aviation decarbonization is one of the most complex challenges facing our industry today. (...) We are encouraged to see that Japan has the potential to build a local SAF ecosystem with the right mix of policy, investment and raw materials development.”

In November 2023, a 787-9 (G-VDIA) from the British Virgin Atlantic made the first transatlantic flight made entirely with SAF, from London (LHR), in the United Kingdom, to New York (JFK), in the United States.