-
All Nippon Airways
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- NH/ANA
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1952
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Koji Shibata
- Country:
- Japan
- Region:
- Asia
On Wednesday, October 5, All Nippon Airways (ANA) will introduce its Boeing 787 Green Jet on the service between Tokyo Haneda (HND) and San Francisco (SFO). It will feature a special livery inspired by the ANA Future Promise program (AFP), launched in 2021. Another aircraft wearing the livery will begin operating on domestic routes in November. Let's take a look at how these jets will be "green" beyond the colors they are flying.
Shark skin enhancement
The two aircraft are registered as JA871A and JA874A. The former is a Boeing 787-9 operated on international long-haul, and the latter is a 787-8 for the high-capacity Japanese domestic market. They are both slightly over seven years old and part of ANA's extensive Dreamliner fleet that currently counts 77 aircraft (36 of the 787-8, 39 of the 787-9, and two of the 787-10) with more incoming.
The aircraft will feature a special material made by the Nikon Corporation. This works like a film that is attached to the surface of the fuselage and has a riblet texture, which is expected to create a "shark-skin effect" and reduce air friction resistance during flight. The airline says it will study the decrease in air resistance and CO2 emission reduction of the aircraft, as well as the material’s durability and technology.
ANA President and CEO, Shinichi Inoue, commented on the Green Jet initiative,
“Our goal is to create a more sustainable society, while helping our local communities and enhancing corporate value and we have dedicated this aircraft to help promote these efforts. Utilizing the technological advances currently available and investing in new solutions, ANA is working hard to create a safe, efficient and sustainable operation.”
Leather from local apple orchards
Beyond the plane's augmented exterior, ANA is implementing initiatives inside the jet's cabin. The seats of the ANA Green Jet will feature special headrest covers using vegan leather developed by Toray Industries and venture company appcycle, Inc. The Ultrasuede material from Torey is partially made from both plant-based PET and recycled PET, while appcycle's RINGO-TEX headrest covers were made from the residue of juice made from apples grown in the Aomori Prefecture (the northernmost region on the main island of Honshu). ANA also says it will introduce special in-flight lighting colors and background music that "evokes the richness of nature."
Want to know more about sustainability in aviation?
Other environmental initiatives by ANA
More than 600 tons of plastic film covering air cargo are discarded annually at Japan's major airports. For the first initiative of its kind in the Japanese transportation industry, ANA has launched a resource recycling scheme together with the Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation. This will see plastic coverings used by ANA's cargo division collected and recycled into other plastic products used in the carrier's operations. Furthermore, the ANA Group is initiating a program towards the upcycling of aircraft parts and uniforms, etc.
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ANA is implementing a range of other sustainability initiatives. These include the water-washing of engines, reduction of aircraft weight, operational optimization, climb with early acceleration, and single-engine taxiing. The airline has, along with all other IATA members, committed to aiming for net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, and launched the "SAF Flight Initiative" in 2021 in order to promote the proliferation of sustainable aviation fuel in the region.