Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines' biggest airline, received recently received its fourth aircraft delivery for 2022 — a brand-new Airbus A320NEO that used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on its delivery flight from Hamburg, Germany, to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

CEB said it became the first low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia to incorporate the use of SAF into its operations when it took delivery of its third A330NEO in May this year.

"We are happy to welcome another aircraft that used sustainable aviation fuel on its delivery flight from Hamburg. This is a testament to how committed we are to our sustainable journey, which involves moving forward with our fleet modernization plans," said Alex Reyes, chief strategy officer at Cebu Pacific.

CEB noted that it intends to use SAF for the delivery of three more aircraft later this year.

SAF is a drop-in fuel, which means it is a completely interchangeable replacement for fossil fuels.

The use of SAF results in an up to 80% reduction in carbon emissions across the SAF lifecycle.

SAF for entire network by 2030

SAF also does not require any adaptations to the aircraft or engines and does not have any negative impact on performance or maintenance.

CEB noted that its sustainability goal is in line with global aviation's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The airline has made various investments that enable it to become fuel-efficient in its operations to keep fares affordable for the passengers.

The airline's three major pillars on its sustainable journey are fleet modernization which aims, among others, to have an all-Neo fleet by 2027; resource optimization, which includes pushing for fuel efficiency best practices; and utilizing SAF by launching green routes by 2025 and using SAF for its entire network by 2030.