China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok.
The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said.
Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan.
At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability officer Ren Cheng (鄭智仁) said the Taoyuan-Bangkok flight, CI831, used a 40 percent blend of SAF supplied by CPC Corp, Taiwan, reducing carbon emissions by nearly 20 tonnes for the round trip.
The remaining carbon emissions would be offset through purchases from a globally recognized environmental, social and corporate governance-compliant carbon offset program, Cheng said.
The Taipei-Bangkok flight had about 7.7 tonnes of SAF added to the standard fuel, the airline said.
For the return flight, CI832, SAF was purchased from Thailand’s PTT Oil and Retail Business and blended at 1 percent, it said.
Apart from using SAF, the demonstration flight offered eco-friendly onboard services, including digital menus in all cabins, it said.
Utensils in the economy-class section were made of recycled stainless steel, while lids for meals, plastic cups, pillowcases, headrest covers and restroom supply containers were made of recycled polyethylene terephthalate, CAL said, adding that passengers were given forest stewardship council-certified paper cups and biodegradable dental floss sticks.
Plastic wraps for blankets were replaced with paper rings and each passenger was given an eco-friendly ballpoint pen made of cork as a souvenir, it said.
The airline also worked with Little Tree Food (小小樹食), a Taipei-based Michelin Green Star restaurant, to provide vegetarian cuisine on the CI831 flight, it said.
The vegetarian meals were Thai cuisine made with plant-based meat, with Thai rice and pandan coconut jelly as dessert, the airline said.
In addition to its partnerships with CPC, CAL in July signed a memorandum of understanding with Formosa Petrochemical Corp to procure more than 10,000 tonnes of SAF over the next three years.
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