Alaska Airlines, Cosmo Oil Marketing Sign SAF Sales Agreement For Hawaiian Airlines Osaka-Honolulu Flights

Hawaiian Airlines on Aug. 29 announced it will be incorporating sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on flights between Osaka, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawai‘i under a sales agreement between parent company Alaska Air Group Inc., and Cosmo Oil Marketing Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.. Fuel deliveries beginning this month at Kansai International Airport will mark the first time Hawaiian Airlines has introduced SAF – which can lower life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.

“Japan is an important international market for Hawaiian Airlines, and we appreciate Cosmo’s investment in locally sourced SAF – the most effective technology to lower our carbon emissions – that we are now using on our flights between Osaka and Honolulu,” said Alanna James, sustainability innovation director at Hawaiian Airlines.

The SAF traded under this agreement was commercialized following Cosmo Oil Marketing Co. Ltd.’s receipt of a New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) subsidy from the Japanese government in 2021, aimed at establishing a supply chain model for SAF production from used cooking oil sourced domestically in Japan. Cosmo Energy Group's facility will be the first to mass produce SAF in Japan and the SAF will come with ISCC CORSIA and ISCC EU certifications. These certifications are part of the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) initiative, which recognizes compliance with international standards for sustainable products.

“SAF is one of our key decarbonization products and plays an essential role in the decarbonization of the aviation industry. We are delighted to contribute to the decarbonization efforts of global airline Alaska Airlines and its customers through SAF. Moving forward, we will continue to support the realization of a decarbonized society, starting with this collaboration, by promoting the use of SAF,” said Naoki Takayam, president and representative director at Cosmo Oil Marketing Co. Ltd.

The fuel will be produced by SAFFAIRE SKY ENERGY LLC, a joint venture formed by Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., JGC Holdings Corporation, and REVO International Inc.

“Since 2021, with the support of the Japanese government, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, and NEDO, we have been working with JGC Holdings Corporation, Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., and REVO International Inc. to commercialize SAF. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved for helping to build a major wave of domestic resource recycling through activities such as ACT for SKY and Fry to Fly,” said Takeshi Takada, Representative of SAFFAIRE SKY ENERGY LLC.

The Cosmo Energy Group has worked to establish a supply chain to deliver Japan’s first locally made SAF, with the goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Group is also helping build social momentum through initiatives such as an ongoing pilot program to collect household used cooking oil at service stations for repurposing into SAF feedstock.

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines – both founded more than 90 years ago to connect communities, bring people together, transport products, and enable economic growth – are committed to stewarding their environmental impact to create a durable long-term future for the company. As the most fuel-efficient premium U.S. carriers, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have an ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 through investments in SAF, technology and fleet modernization, among other initiatives.