Cebu Pacific became the first carrier in the Philippines to use sustainable aviation fuel from Japan as it operated its Airbus 321neo on flight 5J 5055 from Narita Airport to Manila on 25 October.

The airline used 40 percent blended SAF produced by Neste Corporation and supplied by Itochu Corporation, which resulted in a 44 percent reduction in carbon emissions per passenger, a new record for its flights, Cebu Pacific claimed.

Itochu, which acts as the branded distributor of SAF in Japan, said the collaboration underscores the growing demand for SAF in the Asia-Pacific region.

Prior to the commercial flight, Cebu Pacific signed a strategic partnership with Neste to work towards establishing a long-term supply of SAF across the region. The airline operated its first passenger flight powered by SAF in September 2022 from Singapore to Manila. It aims to integrate blended SAF for its entire commercial network by 2030.

“As we await sufficient SAF supply to meet the demand of the entire aviation industry, this inaugural Narita to Manila SAF flight represents Cebu Pacific’s ongoing efforts toward making air travel more sustainable,” said Alexander Lao, president and chief commercial officer at Cebu Pacific.

“Other decarbonization programs that we have put in place include investing in fuel-efficient NEOs, optimization of flight plans, and adoption of fuel efficiency best practices to minimize fuel consumption. All these are concrete sustainability initiatives that bolster our commitment and support for the aviation industry’s goal of flying net-zero by 2050.”