Air Canada has partnered with SAF producer, Neste, to use Neste MY Sustainable Aviation FuelTM from San Francisco International Airport.
Air Canada announced on Earth Day the decision to purchase 9.5 million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to power its flights, furthering its commitment to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. The airline has partnered with SAF producer, Neste, to use Neste MY Sustainable Aviation FuelTM from San Francisco International Airport. This move is a five-fold increase in Air Canada’s SAF procurement year over year and supports its target of using one per cent SAF by 2025, on the journey to achieving its 2050 net-zero decarbonization goals.
The purchase of 9.5 million litres of SAF will generate a reduction of approximately 23,500 tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to the annual GHG emissions absorbed by 28,000 acres of forest, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency equivalencies calculator. Powering aircraft with SAF directly reduces GHG emissions at the source and is widely recognised as a key lever towards achieving aviation’s GHG emission reduction goals. Neste MY Sustainable Aviation FuelTM has the potential to reduce GHG emissions by up to 80% over the fuel’s lifecycle, compared to conventional jet fuel.
“At Air Canada, we have adopted a multifaceted approach to addressing climate change and sustainability. Environmental and social factors are incorporated into our strategic decisions, as are our fleet purchases and daily operations through our support of low-carbon alternatives. SAF comprises one of our core pillars in pursuing our net-zero emission targets. We have been purchasing Neste’s SAF since February 2022. Today’s announced purchase represents a five-fold increase in our SAF procurement year over year and is an important step towards our target of one per cent fuel to be SAF by 2025, supporting our journey towards our 2050 net zero decarbonization goals,” said Michael Rousseau, President and CEO, Air Canada.
Air Canada’s Leave Less Travel Program allows corporate customers and cargo freight forwarders to purchase SAF, carbon offsets or a combination of both to offset or reduce GHG emissions related to business travel or cargo shipments, mitigating their carbon footprint. This program is part of Air Canada’s comprehensive initiatives being implemented as part of its Climate Action Plan.
However, the current global SAF supply remains extremely limited, costly, and insufficient to support worldwide demand. Therefore, Air Canada looks forward to working with the Government of Canada to advance the availability and generate a meaningful supply of Canada-produced SAF for commercial aviation, which would also support Canada’s position on climate change, the country’s environment goals, as well as the Canadian aviation industry, an important economic contributor.
“Decarbonising aviation is more important than ever and Neste is committed to helping the aviation industry move towards a more sustainable future. We are proud to support Air Canada in working towards their ambitious goal of net-zero emissions from all its global operations by 2050 by supplying Neste’s SAF which helps enable airlines to reduce their emissions. We look forward to continuing to work together as we increase our annual SAF production capability to 1.5 million tons per annum by the end of 2023,” said Michael Sargeant, Vice President Americas from the Renewable Aviation business unit, Neste.
Air Canada has been a founding member of the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF), a not-for-profit organization seeking to accelerate the commercial production and use of Canadian-made SAF, since 2022. Air Canada has also been a signatory of the Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition and a founding member of the Aviation Climate Taskforce (ACT), established to accelerate research and advance innovation related to emerging decarbonization technologies, including through the development of sustainable aviation fuels.
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Air Canada continues to work towards its ambitious goal of net-zero emissions from all its global operations by 2050, with absolute midterm GHG net reduction targets by 2030 for both its air and ground operations compared to its 2019 baseline. The airline has purchased 2,399,435 litres of SAF since 2012 and remains committed to reducing its carbon footprint and promoting sustainable aviation.
