Airlines, industry join together to spur sustainable jet fuel growth in Canada

A new organization aims to spur Canadian development of sustainable aviation fuel, a technology advocates say is the airline industry's best shot at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF) was launched Wednesday by a consortium of 60 airlines operating in Canada, both domestic (Air Canada, WestJet) and foreign-owned (British Airways, Cathay Pacific). The group's members also include airports, research institutions, and jet fuel producers and refiners. Geoff Tauvette, executive director of C-SAF, said the organization's mission is to develop targets and a strategy for a made-in-Canada sustainable aviation fuel industry. "There is very little (sustainable aviation fuel) being used right now in Canada, not even a significant volume being produced today in Canada," Tauvette said. "But there's a global race going on, and we would like to get the right processes in place and get it rolling to ensure we get a piece of the pie." While SAF doesn't eliminate aircraft emissions entirely, it is a lower-carbon solution that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 85% compared with conventional jet fuel. It's also a "drop-in" fuel, meaning it doesn't require changes to aircraft or any special infrastructure at airports. That makes it very attractive to the global aviation industry, which committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. SAF is something that can be implemented now, while other technological solutions -- such as hydrogen-powered or electric aircraft -- remain far off in the future. "Aviation is going to be one of the hardest industries to decarbonize," Tauvette said. "We don't have a lot of options on the table today to be able to do so."<br/>