Qantas & Airbus Deepen Sustainable Aviation Fuel Investment

Qantas and Airbus have jointly committed to invest AUD$15 million into Climate Tech Partners (CTP), a leading climate-focused venture capital fund, to support their shared ambition to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other aviation decarbonisation technologies.

The announcement was made in Sydney earlier this week by Airbus Chief Sustainability Office Julie Kitcher and Qantas Chief Sustainability Officer Fiona Messent. CTP will invest on behalf of Qantas and Airbus into leading local and global start-ups focused on SAF and other innovative technologies for SAF production, feedstock development, and other value-chain innovations.

Climate Tech Partners specialises in investing in globally scalable technology solutions, primarily at the Series A stage, across the energy and power, transport and logistics, and industrials and resources sectors.

“Decarbonising aviation at speed and scale requires bold action and collaboration across sectors - from airlines, manufacturers and airports to regulators, governments and investors,” said Kitcher. “This partnership with CTP and Qantas highlights that the scaling of sustainable aviation fuel needs innovative solutions for a nascent technology that will drive innovation, attract investment and create new jobs in Australia, which I believe is well positioned to be a leader in low carbon fuels.”

“Sustainable aviation fuel is the most effective tool we have to decarbonise aviation and, with Airbus, we’re investing significantly in ways to make it more available and accessible,” said Messent. “For Australia, an onshore SAF industry will mean improved national fuel security, more jobs and economic benefit, so it’s fantastic to be collaborating across industries to help accelerate local production.” 

The investment will come from Qantas and Airbus’s USD200 million partnership, which was established in 2022 to help accelerate sustainable aviation fuel production. Qantas and Airbus also have the option to explore further follow-on and direct investments, enabling the deployment of the start-up’s technologies in real-world Australian projects.

Photo: Qantas