AirAsia, Airbus partnership to accelerate aviation sustainability

AirAsia and European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced Tuesday, 24 September a new chapter in their long-standing partnership to develop aviation sustainability efforts in reducing carbon emissions in the ASEAN region.

AirAsia and Airbus' sustainability departments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the prospect of manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Southeast Asia in a decentralized fashion using alternative feedstocks and technologies.

The purpose of this research-based partnership is to investigate strategies to assist promising companies in expanding commercially in order to boost the supply of SAF in the area.

Under the terms of the MoU, AirAsia's industry-leading fuel economy program and Airbus's innovative position as a global leader in aeronautics, space, and related services will be leveraged to jointly investigate advanced measures to improve air traffic management (ATM) to reduce CO2 emissions.

SESAR Project

During the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Project, the organizations will discover relevant solutions and evaluate if they can be modified to fit the skies of ASEAN.

Yap Mun Ching, the chief sustainability officer of Capital A, stated that AirAsia will be a key partner of Airbus in ASEAN for testing the viability of SAF output created with alternative feedstock and technology, as well as innovative ATM projects backed by Airbus' innovation teams.

“As a regional airline with bases in five ASEAN nations, they enhance Airbus' technological know-how with unmatched operating experience in the area. The collaboration creates a framework for collaborative projects at various scales that tackle the industry's overall requirements for enhancing its environmental performance,” Yap said.

Yap further noted that the agreement directly addresses the aviation industry's right to engage in and grow in-sector solutions that are essential to the decarbonization of the sector.

She stated that replacing the airline's fleet with the most fuel-efficient models is a crucial step in helping AirAsia reach net zero by 2050, in addition to efficiency gains and the adoption of SAF.

A321 Neo aircraft

AirAsia received its first brand-new A321 Neo aircraft in June, marking the airline's first aircraft since the Covid-19 outbreak.