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fleet. Lastly, the relatively better finan- capacity of 230,000 tonnes, with the establishing a new fast-track system
cial performance of the North Amer- new production line operated jointly prioritising misconduct cases from
ican region favoured the ownership by both entities. state attorneys general who uncover
model. On the other hand, the higher For years, Sinopec has been dedi- unfair or deceptive airline practices.
lease share displayed in other regions, cated to advancing China’s bio-jet Through the partnership, the US
except for Africa, appears to have ena- fuel industry development. Bio-jet Department of Transportation will
bled faster fleet renewal. fuel is categorised under SAFs pro- provide state attorneys general with
duced from renewable resources, access to the federal complaint data-
SINOPEC AND TOTALENERGIES offering up to over 50% reduction in base and help ensure that airlines
INK AGREEMENT FOR CO2 emissions throughout its lifecycle cooperate with state investigations.
SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL compared with conventional petrole- “Consumers deserve to be treated
PRODUCTION um-based jet fuels. In 2009, Sinopec fairly, know what they’re getting, and
China Petroleum & Chemical Corpo- successfully developed its bio-jet fuel get everything they pay for when they
ration has inked a landmark head of production technology, securing intel- fly,” said Colorado Attorney General
agreement (HoA) with TotalEnergies lectual property rights and producing Phil Weiser. “This agreement and
in Beijing, embarking on a joint ven- qualified bio-jet fuels for the first time partnership with the DOT will allow
ture to produce sustainable aviation in December 2011. April 2013 marked my office to directly serve Colorado
fuel (SAF) from waste oils at one of successful trial flights at Shanghai consumers when they file complaints
Sinopec’s refineries. The partnership Hongqiao Airport; commercial flights about unfair or deceptive airline busi-
aims to achieve an annual production between Shanghai-Beijing were con- ness practices. It also creates a pro-
ducted in 2015; transoceanic flights cess to ensure the DOT prioritises the
from Beijing-Chicago took place in complaints we refer to them.
2017, making China the first Asian The partnership – memorialised in
country and fourth globally possess- signed Memoranda of Understanding
ing indigenous bio-jet fuel technology (MoUs) – will ensure that state attor-
development capabilities. neys general and the DOT’s Office of
In May 2022, China’s inaugural indus- Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP)
trial-scale bio-jet fuel facility com- are closely collaborating on complaints
menced pilot production at Zhenhai involving unfair or deceptive practices
Refining & Chemicals, achieving Asia’s by airlines. Federal law places respon-
first Global RSB biomass-based sus- sibility for addressing airline con-
tainable aviation fuel certification sumer protection matters with DOT.
later that year, followed by obtaining While state attorneys general receive
airworthiness certificates for domesti- consumer complaints regarding air-
cally produced large-scale bio-jet fuels line practices, airlines are not legally
in September. required to respond to state AG inquir-
On the day of signing the jet fuel coop- ies. The MoU incentivises airlines to be
eration agreement with TotalEnergies, responsive to state attorneys general
Sinopec also signed a Memorandum and enables the use of federal and
of Understanding with the Ministry of state resources and expertise to pro-
Commerce of Thailand in Bangkok to tect the rights of the flying public.
further strengthen product promotion Through this partnership, DOT and
and market expansion collaborations. state attorneys general will work
together to:
US DEPARTMENT OF • Investigate airline complaints
TRANSPORTATION TO SUPPORT for unfair or deceptive prac-
PASSENGER RIGHTS tices
US Transportation Secretary Pete • Ensure airlines cooperate
Buttigieg announced the launch of with state investigations
the bipartisan Airline Passenger Pro- • Create a fast-track action
tection Partnership with 18 state system to prioritise miscon-
attorneys general to investigate air- duct case referrals
lines and ticket agents and hold them • Share access to the con-
accountable when they violate avia- sumer complaint database
tion consumer protection laws. The The new partnership will greatly
partnership significantly expands the improve DOT’s capacity to protect
Department’s oversight capacity by airline passengers.

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