Blue Impulse at the GREEN×EXPO 2027 opening to fly on domestic SAF made from cooking oil collected from 9 December

• On 20 October, the Fry to Fly Project, whose secretariat is JGC Holdings, announced the “FRY to BLUE” campaign.
• The Blue Impulse display flight held to mark the opening of GREEN×EXPO 2027 on 19 March 2027 is planned to use domestic SAF (sustainable aviation fuel).
• The campaign collects used cooking oil from homes and restaurants across Japan as feedstock for that SAF. Collection runs from 9 December 2026 to 28 February 2027 and covers used cooking oil that is liquid at room temperature.
• The collection target and the collection points will be announced on 9 December, the day collection starts.
• The oil goes to Japan’s only SAF plant, in Sakai, Osaka, which started production in April 2025.
• Four steps for bringing oil: let it cool, remove crumbs, pour it into a container with a tight lid, and take it to a collection point. Each point has its own instructions.
• The campaign is run by the Fry to Fly Project with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The project had 333 participating organizations as of September 2026.
• The Air Self-Defense Force’s Blue Impulse schedule lists 19 March 2027 for the “2027 International Horticultural Expo (GREEN×EXPO 2027), Yokohama, Kanagawa.” It notes that dates and content may change, and that a display flight cancelled for weather is not rescheduled.

Our take

Until now, the only sign of a Blue Impulse flight on opening day was a date on the Air Self-Defense Force’s schedule. This release puts the fuel story out first. Collection starts on 9 December, and whether Yokohama itself gets a collection point is unknown until then.

The route from oil to fuel is a single one. Collected oil becomes SAF at the plant in Sakai, which the release describes as the only one in Japan and which began production only in April 2025. What share of the fuel for the flight will be SAF, and whether the oil collected here is the oil burned over Yokohama, are not stated. The release only says domestic SAF “is planned to be used.”

Two decisions are left to readers: whether to take oil to a collection point after 9 December, and whether to be at the venue on 19 March to watch the sky. The Air Self-Defense Force says a flight cancelled for weather is not rescheduled, so anyone going on opening day should plan on the chance of not seeing it.

Tips for visitors

• To donate oil, check the collection points on the Fry to Fly Project site on 9 December, then bring cooled oil with crumbs removed in a bottle with a tight lid.
• For opening day on 19 March, the shuttle buses from the four stations and the rail routes are in our access guide. The time and route of the flight have not been announced.
• The flight can be cancelled for weather and is not rescheduled. Check the day’s programme and the forecast that morning before deciding.