Air Canada, Airbus Launch Canadian SAF Initiative

Air Canada and Airbus Partner to Support Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Canada

Air Canada and Airbus have announced a joint initiative to support the development of a commercial-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) industry in Canada. The two companies plan to establish a jointly funded Sustainability Co-Investment Platform with an intended investment of up to CAD 13.7 million (US$10 million).

The initiative aims to help advance selected Canadian SAF projects towards a Final Investment Decision (FID) while encouraging wider industry participation and government support to strengthen domestic SAF production.

Supporting Canada’s SAF Industry

The partnership is designed to accelerate the production and availability of SAF in Canada, helping reduce life-cycle emissions from aviation while maintaining affordable air travel.

Air Canada and Airbus will continue working with the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF) and government partners to encourage policies that support renewable fuel production and improve the competitiveness of SAF across the aviation sector.

Valerie Durand, Vice President, Airport Affairs, Corporate Real Estate and Sustainability at Air Canada, said the initiative supports domestic SAF production while helping corporate customers reduce emissions linked to business travel.

Julie Kitcher, Chief Sustainability Officer and Communications at Airbus, said the collaboration is intended to support SAF production in Canada through long-term investment and industry cooperation.

Corporate Travel Programme

Alongside the investment platform, Airbus has signed a five-year agreement under Air Canada’s Leave Less Travel Programme.

As part of the agreement, Airbus will purchase SAF environmental attributes linked to more than 60,000 litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel for its initial allocation. Air Canada will track greenhouse gas emissions associated with Airbus employees’ business travel and allocate verified SAF environmental attributes under the programme.

The initiative is intended to support the wider adoption of SAF while helping companies lower the life-cycle emissions linked to corporate travel.

Economic Impact

A study by Airbus and ICF suggests that meeting 40% of Canada’s aviation fuel demand with SAF by 2040 could contribute CAD 32 billion to the country’s GDP and create around 140,000 jobs across agriculture, forestry and urban industries.

The companies said the new investment platform is expected to support the growth of Canada’s domestic SAF sector while contributing to the aviation industry’s long-term decarbonisation efforts.

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