Key Takeaways
- Air Canada and Airbus plan to establish a jointly funded Sustainability Co-Investment Platform, investing up to C$13.7 million (US$10 million) to support commercial-scale SAF production in Canada.
- The companies aim to advance a jointly agreed Canadian SAF project toward a Final Investment Decision, working alongside the Canadian Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (C-SAF).
- Airbus signed a five-year Leave Less Travel Program agreement with Air Canada, purchasing SAF environmental attributes tied to more than 60,000 litres of SAF for its first allocation.
- A companion Airbus/ICF study found that scaling SAF to meet 40% of Canada's aviation fuel demand by 2040 could add $32 billion to GDP and create 140,000 jobs.
- Air Canada's Valerie Durand and Airbus's Julie Kitcher both framed the initiative as a step toward the industry's 2050 net-zero emissions goal.
Air Canada and Airbus Launch SAF Co-Investment Platform
Air Canada and Airbus have announced their intent to establish a jointly funded Sustainability Co-Investment Platform, aiming to invest up to approximately C$13.7 million (US$10 million) to support a commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Canada. The companies said the investment, backed by a supportive public policy framework, could act as a catalyst for the broader Canadian SAF ecosystem. A key focus is accelerating a jointly agreed Canadian SAF project toward a Final Investment Decision, with both companies continuing to work with government partners and the Canadian Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (C-SAF) to build the policy frameworks needed to scale domestic production.
A Climate Solution for Corporate Travel
The initiative also creates a vehicle for corporate partners to stimulate domestic SAF demand through Air Canada's Leave Less Travel Program. Airbus has signed a five-year Leave Less Travel Program agreement and will purchase SAF environmental attributes associated with more than 60,000 litres of SAF for its first allocation. Under the program, Air Canada will track Airbus' greenhouse gas emissions from corporate travel and remove verified SAF environmental attributes on the company's behalf, complementing Air Canada's fleet modernization with more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A321XLR and the Canada-built Airbus A220.
Multi-Billion Dollar Economic Potential
A companion macroeconomic study by Airbus and ICF found that scaling domestic SAF to meet 40% of Canada's aviation fuel demand by 2040 could add $32 billion to national GDP and create 140,000 jobs across agricultural, forestry and urban regions. Air Canada and Airbus said the new platform is meant to serve as an immediate catalyst toward those returns while supporting the aviation industry's goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Air Canada and Airbus Leaders on the Partnership
“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 Valerie Durand, Vice President, Airport Affairs, Corporate Real Estate and Sustainability at Air Canada.
“Decarbonising aviation will require deep industry collaboration and decades of investment in new sources of renewable energy. By launching this co-investment platform and making a long-term commitment to Air Canada's Leave Less Travel Programme, we will help to stimulate the production of, and demand for, SAF in Canada,” said Julie Kitcher, Airbus Chief Sustainability Officer and Communications.
