Cathay Pacific together with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and other airline leaders has announced the formation of the Aviation Climate Taskforce (ACT), a new non-profit organisation founded to tackle the challenge of eliminating carbon emissions in aviation through innovation and collaboration.

Cathay Pacific said in a statement that it has pioneered efforts in decarbonisation technologies over the years. It became the first airline investor of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) developer Fulcrum BioEnergy in 2014, and recently committed to using SAF for 10% of its total fuel consumption by 2030. 

It added that this cross-sector partnership will contribute to the airline’s ongoing decarbonisation efforts and commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Dramatically reducing emissions is a critically important but also highly challenging task facing the aviation sector. At Cathay Pacific, we recognise the importance of working with different sectors to develop the kinds of radically new technologies that will be required to decarbonise airline operations and enable us to meet our net-zero carbon emissions goal. We are very pleased to join hands with a group of like-minded organisations as founding members of the Aviation Climate Taskforce to accelerate the development of breakthrough technologies and lead the way in this very important area,” Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang said.

Aviation contributed less than 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions annually before the COVID-19 pandemic, but that number may rise as the industry continues to develop.

Cathay noted that ACT will drive technological innovation and accelerate the research and development lifecycle of emerging technologies. It will also take a portfolio approach, with the majority of its focus on critical medium-term solutions, such as synthetic fuel, and additional focus on more near-term solutions, such as emerging bio-based SAF pathways, and long-term solutions, such as hydrogen technologies.

Through the Innovation Network, ACT will accelerate breakthroughs in early, upstream technologies, while its Collaboration Forum will identify other ways to jointly reduce carbon emissions by expediting adoption and scaling of emerging technologies.

ACT will also engage with experts, activists, policymakers, and thought leaders to help offer a clear way forward for the deployment of innovative technologies.