Why Sustainable Aviation Fuel matters to business travel

In our globally connected era, air travel is an essential part of doing business. Whether you’re meeting new clients or closing a deal, nothing beats the power of a personal connection. But all that travel comes at an environmental cost. If you break down your company’s carbon footprint, business trips likely account for a significant portion.  

The good news is that there are ways to fly more sustainably. As one of the first Asian airlines to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, we’re rising to the challenge of creating air travel with a lower carbon footprint. It’s a goal our customers take seriously too, as reflected by their participation in our Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme.

SAF is an alternative to fossil jet fuel, produced from renewable sources including agricultural residue, waste oils, and other non-fossil carbon sources. We launched our pioneering Corporate SAF Programme in 2022, inviting corporate partners to purchase SAF for use on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Cargo flights, reducing their Scope 3 carbon emissions associated with business travel or cargo transportation. 

The programme has drawn support from global air-freight companies in addition to finance and insurance firms looking for greener forms of business travel. We’re proud to count HSBC among our partners. As the largest bank in Hong Kong this global corporation is, like Cathay, deeply connected to the city. We’ve also welcomed the European logistics companies DB Schenker and Kuehne Nagel to the programme. Together, all of our corporate partners have committed to using a total of 6,050 tonnes of SAF in 2024.

We believe SAF is a game changer for the aviation industry, which is why we’re working to drive demand for this fuel. We’ve set an industry-leading goal to derive at least 10 per cent of our jet fuel from SAF by 2030 – and we invite the corporate community to join us in making a difference.

If your work requires air travel or transport, SAF is a viable solution that can reduce the carbon emissions of your next flight. In just two years, the Corporate SAF Programme has helped our partners to make significant strides in corporate sustainability – and we look forward to working with even more companies as we go greener together.   

Interested in finding out more? Get in touch to realise a greener future for aviation.