Qantas joins new alliance to accelerate global SAF supply

In Australia, Australian airline Qantas said it has joined an alliance of airlines, an aircraft manufacturer, and energy and financing companies to help accelerate global production of aviation biofuel. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Financing Alliance (SAFFA) fund has been formed with anchor-investor Airbus as well as Air France-KLM, Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., BNP Paribas, Associated Energy Group, and Burnham Sterling Asset Management. The initial partners have committed around $200 million, with Qantas initially committing $50 million from its Climate Fund, which was established in 2023 and includes the SAF partnership with Airbus. Through SAFFA, the partners will invest in SAF technology development and production projects with an initial focus on opportunities that repurpose existing infrastructure. Investments will be initially focused in the United States, but in time are expected to be diversified across various SAF production pathways and regions. Qantas and the SAFFA partners will also have opportunities to enter into priority offtake contracts for the supply of SAF produced through the supported projects. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “Through our Climate Fund and our SAF partnership with Airbus, we continue to have a strong focus on Australian projects to accelerate the establishment of a domestic industry, however most of the new SAF investment opportunities here have long development lead times.”

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