Airbus and Qantas pursue SAF developments

Airbus and Qantas are set to announce a $200 million (€190 million) fund to develop a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Australia.
Qantas has set a target of using 10% SAF in its fuel mix by 2030 and placed a multibillion-dollar order for Airbus narrowbody and widebody aircraft, Reuters reported.
Stephen Forshaw, Airbus' chief representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, said the manufacturer and Qantas were meeting weekly to discuss investments in early stage SAF projects in Australia.
"Some of them may be even earlier than Series A. What it may do is provide us with the opportunity or right of first refusal to go in at Series A or Series B or beyond," he said. "And then the pace will determine whether we want to do that or whether we see it is time to open it up to other investors."
Qantas chief sustainability officer Andrew Parker said the airline could meet its 2030 target of 10% SAF solely through purchases in London and California if needed, but noted that 70% of the airline's total fuel was sourced from Australia.
"We know we have to play a lead role in developing a domestic industry," he said, adding there could be local production by the second half of the decade.
Qantas expects about 60% of its fuel could be SAF by 2050 to meet its target of net zero emissions by that date.