• 

  Cathay Pacific

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  CX/CPA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Hong Kong International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1946

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Ronald Lam

  Country:

  China (Special Administrative Region)

  Region:

  Asia

Cathay Pacific has announced a new agreement with US-based renewable company Aemetis for 38 million gallons of sustainable fuel. The fuel will be delivered to San Francisco International Airport over a seven-year period beginning in 2025.

Cathay's new SAF deal

Following in the footsteps of fellow oneworld alliance partners, Cathay Pacific has signed a deal with Aemetis that will see 38 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) delivered from 2025.

Cathay Pacific CEO Augustus Tang said,

"Cathay Pacific continues to reaffirm its commitment to addressing climate change despite these challenging times. In the past few years, we have announced our carbon net-zero by 2050 target and our goal of achieving 10% use of SAF by 2030. In doing this, we have built a robust SAF procurement strategy to help meet our goals. We are pleased that this agreement with Aemetis will contribute to that effort, and we hope it will also send the right signal to the SAF industry to encourage the much-needed investment and scaling up of its supply chain."

Cathay will have access to the SAF from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). According to SFO, the airport handles the highest volume of SAF of any airport globally, primarily through two producers - Neste and World Energy.

A 40/60 SAF blend

Aemetis will deliver a fuel blend consisting of 40% SAF and 60% Petroleum Jet A1 fuel to meet international blending standards. The SAF will be produced at the Aemetis Carbon Zero plant, which is currently under development in Riverbank, California.

Aemetis Chairman and CEO Eric McAfee said,

"The use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel by Cathay Pacific is another step by the oneworld Alliance towards lowering the environmental impact of aviation. Sustainable Aviation Fuel is an immediate solution to the decarbonization of air travel and cargo flights, without requiring extensive new fueling infrastructure or the expensive replacement of planes."

The process will involve utilizing waste wood to produce cellulosic hydrogen before combining it with wastes and non-edible sustainable oils. This will then be converted into SAF through carbon-neutral hydroelectricity technology.

Cathay Pacific added that the SAF "can reduce more than 80,000 tonnes of lifecycle carbon emissions, equivalent to the amount of carbon sequestered by more than 1.3 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years."

Discover more aviation news with Simple Flying.

oneworld SAF initiative

As Simple Flying reported last month, IAG purchased 26 million gallons of SAF to power flights out of San Francisco, with Aemetis also supplying the fuel from 2025.

Aemetis has agreements with other oneworld airlines, including Alaska Airlines and Finnair, as part of the airline alliance's drive for 10% SAF usage by 2030. Earlier this year, oneworld member airlines committed to purchasing 200 million gallons of SAF each year.

Founded in 2006 and based in Cupertino, California, Aemetis uses its patented 'Carbon Zero' production process to develop "zero-carbon fuels that can “drop in” to be used in airplane, truck, and ship fleets."

Are you happy to see Cathay Pacific sign this sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) agreement? Let us know in the comments.