Cathay announced the addition of three new partners to its Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme launched in 2022.

It said that cargo customers Dimerco Express Group and Yusen Logistics have joined Cathay to promote the wider adoption of renewable energy by the aviation industry to decarbonise their business travel and cargo shipments.

The Hong Kong flag carrier also saw the programme's first non-governmental organisation (NGO) partner with the onboarding of the Business Environment Council.

These new partners also join the programme's launch customers — AIA, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), Kintetsu World Express (KWE), PwC China, Standard Chartered and Swire Pacific.

Cathay’s Corporate SAF Programme partners are committed to reducing the climate impact from their business travel and airfreight activities by scaling up the use of SAF.

"Cathay is undertaking a multi-pronged approach to contribute to the aviation industry's transition towards a greener future. SAF is an important facet of this approach, and we have received strong support from our corporate and cargo customers since the launch of our Corporate SAF Programme," said Ronald Lam, chief executive officer of the Cathay Group.

He noted that such partnerships convey a "clear message" to the SAF supply chain that there is firm demand.

SAF is considered to be the most important lever for decarbonising airline operations over the next few decades before alternatively powered aircraft can be widely deployed in commercial operations.

Compared to conventional jet fuel, SAF can reduce over 80% of carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis, depending on the SAF technology and feedstock used.

Cathay was among the first airlines in the world to announce a target of 10% SAF for its total fuel use by 2030.

Since then, it has uplifted SAF at Hong Kong International Airport for the first time in 2022 and successfully conducted its first overseas SAF uplifts on commercial flights at Singapore Changi Airport and Los Angeles International Airport last year.

In addition to increasing the use of SAF, Cathay's carbon reduction roadmap includes fleet modernisation, operational efficiency improvements, leveraging on emerging technology breakthroughs to decarbonise aviation, and high-quality carbon offset projects as part of the carrier's efforts to achieve its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.