Nation ready to soar in greener air travel

Advantages pave way for country's leadership in aviation decarbonization

China is emerging as a global leader in aviation decarbonization, according to industry experts. This development is a result of the scale of the country's aviation market and its innovative technologies and policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, they said.

"With China being the world's second-largest economy and expected to be the world's largest aviation market by 2030, we believe China has a leading role in aviation decarbonization with a deep impact on the decarbonization of aviation globally," said Martin Thomsen, senior vice-president of Air bp, the specialized aviation division of BP, previously known as British Petroleum, a London-based multinational.

Thomsen spoke in March during the Green Aviation Development Forum in Weihai, Shandong province.

"China is the leading global manufacturing hub for the world, with an edge and experience in technology and innovation to deliver an advancement in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production," he said.

"We believe that this will lead to an expansion of SAF production, which could supply domestic and global markets and play a key role in supporting the decarbonization of supply chains."

SAF is a biofuel that has properties similar to jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint. It can be made by blending conventional kerosene, for example, with renewable hydrocarbons.

SAF typically reduces carbon dioxide emissions substantially over its whole life cycle compared with the conventional jet fuel it replaces. It has gained momentum given China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. The government has been investing heavily in the research and development of SAFs, with several companies and research institutions working on producing biofuels, such as with waste oil, officials said.

China has become the fourth country with independent research and development production technology for bio-jet fuel, following the United States, France and Finland.

Despite current challenges in raw material supplies, technology and policies, China's SAF industry faces significant opportunities and has certain advantages, said Luo Zuoxian, head of intelligence and research at the Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute.

It will make important contributions in reducing carbon emissions in the aviation industry, helping achieve the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals and ensuring energy security in SAF, he said.

The first commercial cargo flight using SAF in the Chinese mainland completed its maiden flight in December. Air China flight CA1027, using bio-jet fuel produced by Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Co, a subsidiary of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, flew from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport to Liege Airport in Belgium.

Zhenhai Refining has been expanding the market and supply chains to pave the way for accessing international markets, officials said.