Japan Airlines expands use of B100 in airside vechicles at Naha Airport

In Japan, Japan Airlines has been operating three towing tractors which are work vehicles deployed at Naha Airport, since November 2022 by switching from diesel to “B100 fuel (Riesel”). Now, the company will increase the supply of Riesel and install a dedicated tank within the airport to expand its operation. Vehicles that tow containers for transporting air cargo and customer baggage within the airport’s restricted areas. A high-quality diesel alternative fuel in which the purity of the ester component has been increased to 99.9% through a distillation and refining process

In this initiative, Atlas Co., Ltd. (Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture) will refine plant-based waste edible oil from restaurants and homes in Okinawa Prefecture into biodiesel fuel, Naha Airport Gas Station Co., Ltd. (Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture) will store and manage it at the airport, and Ryuseki Group (Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture) will sell it. In the previous operation, three towing tractors reduced annual CO2 emissions by about 30 tons, but this operation will expand to 10 tractors, and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 100 tons per year. In addition, as the supply volume increases, a dedicated small-capacity fuel tank (capacity 990L) manufactured by Matsuno Giken Co., Ltd. (Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture) will be installed at the airport, which is expected to dramatically improve storage and refueling operations.