Natixis partners with United to expand SAF use

Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking (Natixis CIB) is investing in the United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight FundSM - the first of its kind venture fund focused on funding startups dedicated to the scale up of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Natixis CIB joins a group of 22 investors consisting of industry leaders across the aviation value chain including OEMs, airlines, fuel producers, technology and engineering specialists, banks, aircraft lessors and travel management.
"Our commitment to sustainability and decarbonisation, and deep expertise and presence in both Aviation and Energy Transition sectors position Natixis CIB particularly well to support SAF development and partner with United and other investors in supporting the Fund's portfolio companies in their quest to decarbonize aviation," said Mohamed Kallala, global head of Natixis Corporate and investment banking.
"We are proud to be a part of this endeavour," said Yevgeniya Levitin, managing director and Head of Aviation Americas at Natixis CIB.
"SAF has emerged as the most effective large-scale solution for decarbonizing aviation industry, and the demand for it, fuelled by net-zero objectives and strong traffic growth, outstrips supply by a huge factor. Natixis CIB is fully aligned with United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund's approach to addressing the bottlenecks to scaling up production and advancing SAF enabling technologies."
"SAF is the best tool we have to decarbonise airplanes, but we don't have enough of it. To create the fuel supply we need for our fleet, United recognised that we would have to help build a brand-new industry from scratch – like wind and solar in previous decades," said Andrew Chang, managing director of United Airlines Ventures.
"As part of our effort to build a new sustainable aviation ecosystem, we recruited a group of partners with the industry expertise to support our startups with both financial and strategic capital, to help them navigate the entire process from conception to commercialisation."