Air Canada to purchase 2.5 million additional gallons of SAF for San Francisco flights

Photo: Air Canada

Neste and Air Canada are expanding their collaboration with an additional supply of 2.5 million gallons of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™.

The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplied to Air Canada will be blended with conventional jet fuel and used to power the airline’s flights from the San Francisco International Airport.

Air Canada has committed to the ambitious goal of net-zero emissions from all its global operations by 2050.

It has set mid-term targets for reducing net greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 from both its air and ground operations compared to its 2019 baseline.

“At Air Canada, we have adopted a multifaceted approach to addressing climate change and sustainability,” said Michael Rousseau, president and CEO at Air Canada. “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 1 percent fuel to be SAF by 2025, supporting our journey towards our 2050 net-zero decarbonization goals.”

Michael Sargeant, vice president of Neste’s renewable aviation business unit in the Americas, added, “Decarbonizing aviation is more important than ever. Canada’s passage of a clean fuel standard last year demonstrates the strong commitment to achieve net zero by 2050. Neste is committed to helping the aviation industry move towards a more sustainable future, and 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 enables airlines to reduce its emissions. We look forward to continuing to work together as we increase our annual SAF production capability to [approximately 500 million gallons per year] by the end of 2023.”

Neste’s increase in SAF production is a result of ongoing investments at its refineries in Singapore and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Neste’s SAF is available to airlines at a growing number of airports globally and in the Americas, including San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

SAF is widely recognized as a key lever to achieve aviation’s emission-reduction goals.

Using SAF reduces GHG emissions by up to 80 percent over the fuel’s lifecycle compared to using conventional jet fuel.

Neste’s SAF is made from sustainably sourced, 100 percent renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste.