Japan Airlines (JAL) will conduct Asia’s first ASPIRE flight on October 10, 2009, as part of a program that seeks to establish industry-wide aviation standards and procedures that can reduce the environmental footprint of air travel.

ASPIRE - ASia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions, is a joint venture between the Federal Aviation Administration, Airservices Australia and Airways New Zealand, established in February 2008. It aspires to develop, implement and encourage the use of environmental-friendly flight operational procedures worldwide in order to reduce the burden of aviation on the environment. Three ASPIRE flights involving United Airlines, Qantas Airlines and Air New Zealand have been conducted over the transpacific routes in the last year. With the participation of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in the ASPIRE programme, an ASPIRE flight will be performed for the first time ever in Asia.

The JAL Group will conduct this landmark ecological flight in Asia and has set subsidiary JALways’ scheduled flight JO077 from Honolulu to Osaka (Kansai), using a Boeing 747-400, to be the JAL ASPIRE flight. Comparing with a regularly-operated flight of the same aircraft and route, the ASPIRE flight aims to reduce 9,421 pounds (5362 litres / 27 barrels) in fuel consumption and 13,140 kg in carbon dioxide emissions.