Air Canada has signed an agreement with Finnish oil refining company Neste, for the purchase of 77.6 million litres (20.5 million US gallons) of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel, as the airline continues to pursue its climate plans and aspiration.
"Air Canada is actively pursuing efforts to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions and SAF is a critical component of our multifaceted approach to reducing our impact on the environment and promoting environmental sustainability in our operations,” said Michael Rousseau, president and chief executive officer at Air Canada.
He added: “This SAF purchase from Neste contributes significantly to our target of procuring SAF for one per cent of our estimated jet fuel use in 2025.”
Neste, one of the world's leading producers of SAF, will deliver the neat SAF purchased in a blended form to the Vancouver marine terminal from December 2024, with further shipments throughout 2025. This purchase represents Air Canada's first commercial import of SAF into Canada.
Carl Nyberg, Executive Vice President at Neste commented: "We are proud to expand our partnership with Air Canada by supplying them with a large volume of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel for use at Vancouver Airport. It is the first time our SAF is supplied to Canada. It underlines our commitment to supporting the Canadian aviation industry in its efforts to mitigate emissions and also shows the important role that policy support can play in accelerating SAF usage. We look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration with Air Canada.”
Air Canada is continuing to work towards its long-term aspirational goal of net-zero GHG emissions from all its global operations by 2050, and its absolute midterm GHG net reduction targets by 2030 for both its air and ground operations, compared to its 2019 baseline.