Cathay Pacific together with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and other global airlines leaders introduced the Aviation Climate Taskforce (ACT), a new non-profit organisation founded to tackle carbon emissions in aviation.
Cathay Pacific 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.
The 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," said Cathay’s Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang.
It says 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.
The ACT will help to develop technological innovations.
It will 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
The taskforce plans to engage with experts, activists, and policymakers to help offer a clear way forward for the deployment of innovative technologies.
Other airlines involved include Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM.
