Hawaiian Airlines Debuts SAF on Selected Osaka–Honolulu Flights

(OSAKA) Hawaiian Airlines has started loading sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on its daily Airbus A330-200 flights from Kansai International Airport to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, marking the carrier’s first operational use of SAF and a new step in its plan to cut climate pollution on the busy Osaka–Honolulu route.

The airline and its parent, Alaska Air Group, announced the program on August 29, 2025, and fuel deliveries began in early September 2025. SAF is blended into the airport’s fuel system and then supplied to flights HA449 and HA450. Hawaiian says the initial SAF volumes will cover a small share of its total fuel in 2025—about 1%—but the move begins the hard work of building a dependable supply in Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Source and certification of the fuel

The fuel is produced in Japan mainly from used cooking oil collected domestically. That choice shortens supply chains, lowers transport emissions, and ties the program to community recycling efforts, including household oil collection.

The producer, SAFFAIRE SKY ENERGY LLC—a joint venture of Cosmo Oil Co., JGC Holdings, and REVO International—runs the first facility in Japan to mass-produce SAF. The fuel meets ISCC CORSIA and ISCC EU standards, independent certifications that confirm sustainability criteria and track life-cycle carbon cuts.

Hawaiian Airlines says the blend can reduce life-cycle emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional jet fuel, consistent with industry expectations for used cooking oil–based fuels.

“Locally sourced SAF is a practical way to reduce emissions on key international routes while helping grow a regional market.” — Alanna James, Hawaiian’s Sustainability Innovation Director

Why Osaka–Honolulu was chosen

• The route is a high-profile leisure and family route with strong, steady demand.
• Daily widebody flights provide a reliable platform to learn, test logistics, and scale supply.
• Local production reduces risks for imported fuel (port delays, global price swings).
• Timing aligned with maturing output at Cosmo’s facility and new public funds to grow supply and demand.

For passengers, the change should feel seamless: the aircraft, seating, and safety checks remain unchanged. The difference is in the tanks and in the airline’s emissions ledger. For staff, the shift means tighter tracking and new blending/documentation procedures. For local communities, the program creates a visible link from used-oil collection to jet engines.

How the process works (daily routine)

1. Used cooking oil is collected and filtered.
2. The feedstock is refined into SAF at Cosmo’s plant.
3. After batch testing and certification, the fuel moves to Kansai International Airport’s fuel system.
4. The SAF is blended to a set ratio with conventional jet fuel at the airport.
5. Hawaiian’s A330-200 uplifts the blended fuel for HA449 to Honolulu and HA450 back to Osaka.
6. Airline and airport partners monitor quality and track volumes to report carbon reductions.

This process preserves existing engines, safety standards, and fueling methods while allowing life-cycle emission benefits to be claimed.

Roles of partners and public policy

• Cosmo Oil Marketing handles deliveries at the airport and is pushing to build a domestic SAF supply chain. Public-facing projects—like household used-oil collection—are central to its engagement strategy.
• The Japanese government, via the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and NEDO, has backed commercialization with subsidies and policy support that helped turn pilots into a live supply line.

For readers tracking official policy tools and technology projects, NEDO provides program information and updates at its English site: NEDO.

Market context and scaling implications

Industry analysts note current volumes are modest, but early demand matters because it gives producers steady revenue to invest in more capacity. According to VisaVerge.com analysis, airlines that sign on early and prove day-to-day airport handling, testing, and blending steps often speed broader adoption.

• In the United States, SAF output is projected to reach about 51,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025 (over 770 million gallons per year)—still less than 1% of total U.S. jet fuel use.
• For Hawaiian, starting in Osaka builds a second pillar of supply outside the mainland U.S., helping to buffer price swings and improve reliability as more carriers compete for the same fuel.

Targets, challenges, and next steps

Hawaiian and Alaska have set a net-zero carbon target for 2040. Hawaiian aims to reach 10% SAF use by 2030.

Planned actions and expectations:
– Expand SAF to more routes as supply grows and costs fall.
– Use Alaska Air Group involvement for potentially shared procurement and logistics, lowering unit costs.
– Cosmo and partners plan to raise output and strengthen the chain from feedstock collection to airport delivery.
– Japanese government support is expected to continue via subsidies and policy incentives that lower early-stage risks and keep retail prices closer to conventional fuel.

Ongoing challenges:
– SAF remains a small share of the fuel pool; scaling to meaningful levels needs more plants, more feedstock, and improved airport infrastructure.
– Strict sustainability rules are critical: avoid feedstock competition with food, guard against land-use change, and ensure full life-cycle accounting.
– Certifications such as ISCC CORSIA and ISCC EU provide confidence that reported reductions are real.

Strategic lessons and regional potential

• Governments and airlines are increasingly relying on SAF to meet climate goals without waiting for new aircraft or breakthrough technologies.
• Common enablers include long-term offtake deals, airport storage upgrades, and clearer certification rules.
• The Japanese program provides a regional example: turn waste oils into certified fuel and ship it directly into an airport fuel network that serves long-haul traffic.

If the daily logistics, certification, and cost controls hold, volumes can grow and more flights can switch to blended fuel. Success in Osaka could encourage similar setups across Asia, where large urban waste streams could feed regional SAF production.

Who to watch for updates

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Air Group are making this change public and trackable. For updates and background information, check:
– Hawaiian Airlines
– Alaska Air Group
– Cosmo Oil Marketing

Key timeline and takeaways

• Announcement: August 29, 2025
• First deliveries: Early September 2025
• Operations: Daily blended SAF on HA449/HA450 between Osaka and Honolulu
• Near-term share: ~1% of Hawaiian’s fuel in 2025
• Mid-term target: 10% SAF by 2030
• Long-term goal: Net-zero by 2040

The program’s strength is its practical design: it uses an existing waste stream, relies on a certified process compatible with current aircraft, and runs through an airport system built to handle heavy long-haul fuel flows. If partners deliver steady logistics, certification, and cost controls, this pilot could become a model for SAF rollouts across Asia and beyond.