Cathay Pacific is launching a pilot Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) program in partnership with corporate customers to use sustainable fuel for the first time at Hong Kong International Airport.
On Wednesday (April 20, 2022), Cathay Pacific announced the launch of a new Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) program, marking the first major program of the type in Asia. Through the initiative, corporate customers can reduce their carbon footprint from business travel or freight by using SAF at Hong Kong International Airport on Cathay Pacific flights. The program is launching with eight corporate customers including AIA, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), DHL Global Forwarding, HSBC, Kintetsu World Express (KWE), PwC China, Standard Chartered and Swire Pacific.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Cathay Pacific’s Chief Executive Officer, Augustus Tang, 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% SAF for our total fuel use by 2030. We have made significant progress since then and are pleased that uplifting SAF from HKIA is now a reality with the strong support of the local authorities and fuel suppliers.
“In addition to our launch corporate customers, we have received a very enthusiastic response from other corporates and we welcome other interested companies to sign-up to reduce their indirect emissions from flight-related activities. Climate change is a global challenge and we need to work together to tackle it.
“We see the launch of this Corporate SAF Programme as an important step for us to engage other like-minded organisations, and a first step in sending an important demand signal to the SAF supply chain that there is firm interest in the region, not only from airlines, but also the aviation value-chain all the way to end users for both passenger and cargo transportation.”
SAF is considered one of the major tools in the effort to decarbonize the airline industry over the next few decades. While alternatively powered aircraft are under development, SAF allows operators to reduce emissions now, as it can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 100 percent, depending on the technologies used in production. The fuel used for the launch of Cathay Pacific’s pilot program is made from used cooking oil and animal fat waste, and will be provided by PetroChina and Shell.
Cathay Pacific is taking a multifaceted approach towards their goal of achieving net zero carbo emissions by 2050. In addition to the use of SAF, the airline’s carbon reduction roadmap includes fleet modernization, improvements in operational efficiency, and offering carbon offsets via their ‘Fly Greener’ program.
Source: Cathay Pacific
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