To achieve its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and decarbonise the aviation industry, Cathay has brought on three more partners to its Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme.
First launched in 2022, the three new partners are Dimerco Express Group, Yusen Logistics, and NGO partner Business Environment Council.
These new partners join the programme’s launch customers – AIA, Airport Authority Hong Kong, Kintetsu World Express, PwC China, Standard Chartered, and Swire Pacific.
Cathay’s Corporate SAF Programme partners are committed to reducing the climate impact from their business travel and airfreight activities through scaling up the use of SAF, considered to be the most important lever for decarbonising airline operations over the next few decades, before alternatively powered aircraft can be widely deployed in commercial operations.
Cathay Group’s CEO, Ronald Lam, said: “Cathay is undertaking a multi-pronged approach to contribute to the aviation industry’s transition towards a greener future. SAF is an important facet of this approach, and we have received strong support from our corporate and cargo customers since the launch of our Corporate SAF Programme. We have also established new SAF supply partnerships in the broader Asia region to convey a clear message to the SAF supply chain that there is firm demand from this part of the world.”
Cathay was among the first airlines in the world to announce a target of 10 per cent SAF for its total fuel use by 2030. Since then, it uplifted SAF at Hong Kong International Airport for the first time in 2022, and successfully conducted its first overseas SAF uplifts on commercial flights at Singapore Changi Airport and Los Angeles International Airport last year.
The SAF Cathay used over the past year was made from used cooking oil and animal fat waste, and was made available by its fuel suppliers, ExxonMobil and Shell.
Last year, Cathay and State Power Investment Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to drive the further development of the SAF supply chain in China.
In addition to increasing the use of SAF, Cathay’s carbon reduction roadmap includes fleet modernisation, operational efficiency improvements, leveraging on emerging technology breakthroughs to decarbonise aviation, and high-quality carbon offset projects.
