Air Canada and Airbus launch initiative to scale Canadia SAF and reduce corporate emissions.
Canada’s national flag carrier, Air Canada, and French aircraft OEM, Airbus, intend to establish a jointly funded, Sustainability Co-Investment Platform. The agreement is for the two companies to invest up to CAD 13.7m ($10m) to support commercial scale up of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Canada.
The agreement focuses on accelerating a Canadian SAF project to a Final Investment Decision (FID). This announcement complements the work the two companies already do through the Canadian Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (C-SAF) in working with both the federal and provincial governments.
“Air Canada is proud to help advance aviation’s energy transition in Canada. Through this joint initiative with Airbus, we are taking meaningful steps toward supporting domestic SAF production, helping corporate customers address the emissions associated with business travel, and contributing to a lower-carbon path for the industry,” said Valerie Durand, VP, Airport Affairs, Corporate Real Estate and Sustainability, Air Canada. “With continued industry collaboration and a supportive policy environment, we are confident this momentum can accelerate”.
This initiative also introduces a vehicle for corporate partners to help stimulate domestic SAF demand through Air Canada’s Leave Less Travel Program. Airbus has signed a long-term, 5-year Leave Less Travel Program Agreement. Airbus will purchase SAF environmental attributes associated with over 60,000 litres of SAF for its first allocation. Through this programme, Air Canada will track Airbus’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with their corporate travel and remove verified SAF environmental attributes on the company’s behalf.
“I want to thank Air Canada for this very important joint sustainability initiative. Decarbonising aviation will require deep industry collaboration and decades of investment in new sources of renewable energy. By launching this co-investment platform and making a long-term commitment to Air Canada’s Leave Less Travel Programme, we will help to stimulate the production of, and demand for, SAF in Canada. The country has a vast feedstock potential. When combined with a supportive policy framework, it can contribute to the sector’s decarbonisation ambitions and create significant economic growth and job creation,” said Julie Kitcher, Chief Sustainability Officer and Communications, Airbus.