A photo taken on August 22, 2023 shows a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 departing Sydney´s Kingsford Smith Airport. (PHOTO / AFP)

Hong Kong established a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) alliance on Monday, with the goal of promoting the development of the alternative fuel and assisting the city’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. 

The Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition-a non-profit-making charitable group, was set up by Business Environment Council, and currently has 13 partners, including airline Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong International Airport, etc., and the city’s business sector and fossil providers.

Cathay Pacific Group Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Grace Cheung said that the goal of achieving 10 percent SAF usage cannot be achieved by one company

At the launch ceremony, Ronald Lam Siu-por, chief executive officer of Cathay Group, said the airline is committed to using SAF, vowing 10 per cent of total fuel consumption by 2030 will be SAF. He added that Cathay intended to achieve the net-zero emissions target by 2050 through the utilization of SAF.

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Cathay Pacific is working with other aviation industry stakeholders, including fuel suppliers and research institutes, Lam said.  

Lam pointed out that the use of SAF in the aviation industry is facing several challenges, including the immaturity of global technology, and the need for significant investment in production capacity and supply chains. Therefore, long-term supportive policies from local governments are crucial, Lam said.

Cathay Pacific Group Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Grace Cheung said that the goal of achieving 10 percent SAF usage cannot be achieved by one company, but would require the cooperation of different industries reflecting their views to the authorities through cross-sectorial promotion.

Cheung described SAF as “drop-in fuel”,  meaning renewable gasoline that can be used without extra processing, saying it can be used in large quantities directly as long as there is sufficient supply and the price is competitive. 

Cheung said that although the price of SAF is now three to five times higher than regular fuel, in areas where the government has policies to support its usage, the price can be very close to that of regular fuel.

Simon Ng, chief executive officer of Business Environment Council said that there is not much SAF available at present, and it is hoped to promote the public’s awareness and the usage of such fuels as soon as possible.

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Ng hoped that more stakeholders and other airline companies will join the coalition in the future.

One of the main purposes of the coalition is to study, through the experience of its members, how to do a good job in supporting resources, and to conduct policy studies to lower the price of SAF, in the hope of promoting its use without affecting consumers’ travel.

It is hoped that the usage of SAF can be regularized in the future, or can be used in more scenarios, Cheung added.