Cathay Pacific has become the latest major airline to announce a deal to buy sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the sector ramps up its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The Hong Kong-based airline has sealed an agreement with US-based Aemetis for 38 million gallons of SAF, which will be delivered over seven years from 2025 at San Francisco International airport.
The deal is part of a joint procurement initiative to purchase SAF through the Oneworld alliance of airlines, which also includes British Airways, American Airlines, Finnair and Qatar Airways.
Cathay said the move marked “another step” towards achieving its target of using 10 per cent SAF to power its flights by 2030.
Augustus Tang, the airline’s CEO, added: “We have built a robust SAF procurement strategy to help meet our goals. We are pleased that this agreement with Aemetis will contribute to that effort, and we hope it will also send the right signal to the SAF industry to encourage the much-needed investment and scaling up of its supply chain.”
The fuel, which will be produced at Aemetis’ facility in California under this agreement, will be made up of 40 per cent SAF to meet international blending standards.
Aemetis’ chairman and CEO Eric McAfee added: “Sustainable aviation fuel is an immediate solution to the decarbonisation of air travel and cargo flights, without requiring extensive new fuelling infrastructure or the expensive replacement of planes.”