Cathay Pacific is making strides towards its environmental goal. The airline aims to replace 10% of its total fuel usage with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by 2030. As a significant milestone, Cathay Pacific is now using SAF for commercial flights for the first time outside its Hong Kong base.
The SAF was blended and supplied by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. It was refueled at Singapore Changi Airport onto four Cathay Pacific cargo flights. These flights include CX2076 to Hong Kong on June 7, 14, and 28, and CX2074 to Penang on June 30. This progressive move comes after the successful use of blended SAF at Hong Kong International Airport on selected flights last year. It was also used on delivery flights for its new Airbus A350 from Europe for the past six years.
Cathay Pacific’s Climate Commitments
Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam shared his insights on this crucial progress: “This is an important milestone for Cathay Pacific and our ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As an international airline, we have a leading role to play in helping the aviation industry to decarbonize, and we are constantly exploring solutions and advocating for extensive collaboration with many stakeholders to combat climate change.
We firmly believe that SAF will be the primary lever by which the aviation industry achieves net-zero carbon emissions. By expanding the uplift of blended SAF onto selected commercial flights at Changi Airport as well as our home hub, we hope to strengthen SAF awareness across the Asia Pacific region and send a strong signal to the supply chain that there is firm demand for SAF from airlines.”
The Sustainability of SAF
The SAF used by Cathay Pacific is derived entirely from used cooking oil, meeting International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) EU standards. It is a promising green solution as it can reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by almost 90% compared to conventional jet fuel, contributing to lower GHG emissions in air travel and air cargo.
Ong Shwu Hoon, Asia Pacific Fuels Vice President at ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, stated, “We are pleased to collaborate with Cathay Pacific for the successful deliveries of certified SAF in Singapore. ExxonMobil remains focused on growing our lower GHG emission fuels business to support the decarbonization goals of the aviation industry, leveraging our operational and logistical capabilities.”
Boosting SAF Usage with Corporate Partnership
With a firm commitment to increasing SAF use on its flights, Cathay Pacific launched the Cathay Pacific Corporate SAF Program in 2022. It is the first major program of its kind in Asia and began with eight corporate customers. The program allows corporate clients to reduce their carbon footprint from business travel or airfreight by contributing to SAF usage. Cathay Pacific is aiming to include more corporate customers in the program in 2023.
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