Vancouver International Airport initiative enables travelers to support SAF use

Image: Vancouver International Airport

As part of its commitment to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has launched a new tool for passengers to be part of the transition to a lower-carbon aviation industry.

YVR’s online calculator allows travelers to estimate their flight’s greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Contributions made through YVR’s new online calculator will be applied to environmental attributes associated with SAF and will enable airlines’ further use of SAF, starting with Air Canada.

SAF’s environmental attributes are the quantified climate benefits or reductions associated with its use, such as the GHG emissions avoided by not extracting nonrenewable resources used for fossil jet fuel.

Contributing to these attributes supports SAF growth and is essential for scaling SAF globally, as it bolsters activity across the supply chain.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is one of the most effective options available today to make meaningful progress towards decarbonizing aviation,” said Tamara Vrooman, the president and CEO at Vancouver International Airport. “This new tool gives travelers the opportunity to help increase the use of SAF and support more sustainable air travel.”

SAF is a lower-carbon alternative to fossil jet fuel.

It is made from renewable and waste-derived materials and, depending on the feedstock, production pathway and lifecycle-assessment methodology, can have lower lifecycle-GHG emissions than fossil jet fuel.

Certain SAF may achieve lifecycle GHG reductions of up to 80 percent when used in neat form compared with fossil jet fuel.

As a drop-in fuel, it can be blended with fossil jet fuel and requires no changes to today’s aircraft or existing airport infrastructure.

While SAF is currently in use by some airlines, including those operating at YVR, as an emerging fuel source, limited production and higher prices are obstacles for wider uptake.

As production increases and more supply becomes available, costs are likely to lower, increasing the proportion of SAF to be likely used in flights around the world.

This initiative is part of YVR’s broader efforts to raise awareness of SAF and support airline partners in increasing their SAF use to advance the aviation industry’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

While voluntary contributions through YVR’s online calculator help support the broader adoption of SAF by Air Canada over time, the tool is available to all passengers regardless of which airline they travel on.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is expected to play a critical role in the aviation industry’s transition to a lower-carbon future and is an important component of Air Canada’s long-term climate ambition and broader sustainability strategy,” said Valerie Durand, an executive with Air Canada. “The SAF environmental attributes made available through the YVR online tool  are supplied via our ‘Leave Less Travel Program’ and associated with SAF used by Air Canada. Increasing the availability and adoption of SAF will be an important part of our efforts to achieve our long-term aspiration of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.”

Geoff Tauvette, the executive director of the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels, added, “Building awareness and demand for sustainable aviation fuel is critical to accelerating its production and use across Canada. YVR’s new tool gives travelers a tangible way to participate in a piece of aviation’s decarbonization journey. C-SAF continues to bring industry and government together to develop strategies to scale Canadian-made, low-carbon SAF and is pleased to support this initiative and the collaboration it represents across industry, government and travelers.”