Cathay Pacific has rolled out its corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) program in Asia. The program gives corporate customers the chance to reduce their carbon footprint from business travel or airfreight by contributing to the use of SAF uplifted for the first time from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on the carrier’s flights.
The airline is kick-starting the program with eight corporates as launch customers, including AIA, Airport Authority Hong Kong, DHL Global Forwarding, HSBC, Kintetsu World Express, PwC China, Standard Chartered and Swire Pacific. The launch customers are committed to reducing the climate impact from their business travel and/or airfreight activities by facilitating the wider adoption of renewable energy by the air transport industry through the use of SAF.
Augustus Tang, CEO of Cathay Pacific, said, “We continue to pioneer our industry’s move towards more substantial use of SAF, especially in Asia. Last year, we were among the first carriers in the world to announce a target of 10 percent SAF for our total fuel use by 2030. We have made significant progress since then and are pleased that uplifting SAF from HKG is now a reality with the strong support of the local authorities and fuel suppliers.
Compared to conventional jet fuel, SAF can reduce up to 100 percent carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis, depending on the technology used. The SAF used for the launch of this program is made from used cooking oil and animal fat waste and is supplied by PetroChina and Shell Aviation. The very first uplift of SAF at HKG involves a collaborative effort with many stakeholders along the supply chain and various government departments. SAF used in this program will go through the normal aviation-fueling infrastructure, which will provide learning opportunities for the development of regular SAF supply from HKG in the future.
Cathay Pacific is undertaking a multi-pronged approach towards a green recovery and long-term transition towards its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Besides increased usage of SAF, the carrier’s carbon reduction roadmap includes fleet modernization, operational efficiency improvements, leveraging on emerging technology breakthroughs to decarbonize aviation and offering carbon offsets through its “Fly Greener” program.
For more information, visit www.cathaypacific.com.
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