DHL Express and the Cathay Group have announced a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) partnership to support the reduction of air cargo greenhouse gas emissions.
Cathay will supply DHL Express with 2,400 metric tons of SAF for international flights departing from Seoul Incheon International Airport, Tokyo Narita International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport in Asia. These flights are operated by Air Hong Kong, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cathay Group, which principally operates express cargo services for DHL Express.
Continuing through 2025, the partnership is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 7,190 metric tons — equivalent to the emissions of over 100 flights from Hong Kong to Singapore with an Airbus 330 freighter.
“Sustainable aviation fuel currently accounts for less than 1% of the total global jet fuel consumption, yet air transport is one of our biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Our decision to expand our SAF usage in Asia with Cathay is another important step that we have taken to drive momentum in SAF production and demand,” said Peter Bardens, senior vice president for network operations and Aviation – Asia Pacific, DHL Express.
This SAF deal builds on the long-standing partnership between DHL Express and the Cathay Group, with Air Hong Kong playing a vital role in DHL Express’s Asia Pacific network for more than two decades.
“This partnership marks the first SAF uplift on Air Hong Kong flights, a key milestone for Cathay as we continue to expand the SAF usage across our global network,” said Tom Owen, director cargo, Cathay.
This collaboration makes DHL Express the latest strategic partner of Cathay’s Corporate SAF Program, an initiative launched in 2022 to support corporate partners in addressing greenhouse gas emissions from business travel and airfreight through the use of SAF. In 2024, the Corporate SAF Program enabled the use of over 6,000 metric tons of SAF, with 16 partners participating, including HSBC, AIA and Standard Chartered.
Cathay has been steadily expanding its SAF efforts across the region. Earlier this year, the group entered an agreement with Sinopec to uplift SAF produced in the Chinese Mainland at Hong Kong International Airport, the first such export by Sinopec to Hong Kong, and it has partnered with SK Energy to secure SAF supply in South Korea from 2025 to 2027. The group also co-initiated the Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (HKSAFC) to collectively drive policy development and adoption of SAF locally.
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