Air Canada and Airbus will invest nearly $14 million to support a commercial-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) industry in Canada. The companies say the jointly funded Sustainability Co-Investment Platform reflects their shared commitment to aviation decarbonization and desire to “lead the way” in advancing these goals.
“Both companies are confident that, with a supportive public policy framework in place, this investment can serve as a catalyst for the broader Canadian SAF ecosystem,” declared in a joint statement.
They added, “Key focus areas include accelerating a jointly agreed Canadian SAF project toward a Final Investment Decision (FID). While Air Canada and Airbus intend to drive this investment, both companies look forward to continuing their constructive collaboration with government partners to establish the right structural frameworks to support SAF production to emerge at scale in Canada.”
By aligning industry initiatives with supportive public policy mechanisms, the companies intend champion domestic SAF production and price competitiveness, with the objective to make renewable fuels available for the Canadian aerospace industry and to preserve affordability of air travel.
“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 Air Canada VP Valerie Durand.
Climate solution for corporate travel
Complementing this foundational investment, the initiative introduces a vehicle for corporate partners to stimulate domestic SAF demand through Air Canada’s ‘Leave Less Travel Program.’
Demonstrating its commitment, Airbus has signed a long-term, 5-year Leave Less Travel Program Agreement.
As part of the parallel corporate travel partnership, which distributes verified SAF environmental attributes to participants, Airbus will purchase SAF environmental attributes associated with over 60,000 litres of SAF for its first allocation.
The use of renewable fuels, such as SAF, complements Air Canada’s extensive fleet modernization strategy, featuring more fuel-efficient aircraft like the long-range narrow-body Airbus A321XLR and the Canada-built Airbus A220.
Air Canada and Airbus further fully support the aviation aspirational climate ambition set by IATA, ATAG and ICAO to reach ‘net-zero carbon emissions by 2050’, with SAF as a critical component to such pathway.
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