YVR launches passenger tool to support sustainable aviation fuel

Vancouver International Airport has introduced an online tool allowing travellers to estimate the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with a flight and voluntarily contribute toward sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.

The contributions will support environmental attributes linked to SAF and help enable further use by airlines, beginning with Air Canada. YVR says the calculator is available to all passengers, regardless of the airline they fly with.

SAF is made from renewable and waste-derived materials and can be blended with conventional jet fuel without changes to aircraft or airport infrastructure. Depending on the feedstock, production pathway and lifecycle methodology, certain neat SAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80 per cent compared with fossil jet fuel, according to YVR.

Limited production and higher costs remain barriers to broader adoption. The airport said the initiative is part of its effort to increase awareness and demand for SAF as the aviation sector works toward net-zero emissions by 2050.