Introduction:

At the SAF Global Summit, we had the opportunity to speak with Julien Manhes, Head of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) at Airbus, about the company’s strategy to achieve aviation decarbonization and meet its net-zero commitments. Julien shared insights into Airbus’s role within the aviation value chain, progress toward enabling 100% SAF-capable aircraft by 2030, and the critical interplay between technology, policy, and market demand.

Key Takeaways:

1. Airbus is fully committed to net-zero and is taking responsibility across all emission scopes

Julien emphasized that Airbus has taken a Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitment across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Reducing Scope 1 involves increasing SAF use in Airbus’s internal flight operations and testing, while Scope 3 focuses heavily on enabling airlines to reduce emissions from aircraft in service. To lead by example, Airbus is actively using SAF in business travel and test flights.

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2. Two technological pathways will enable 100% SAF by 2030

Airbus is advancing both “drop-in” fuels, chemically equivalent to jet-A1 and compatible without modifications, and “non-drop-in” fuels, which will require changes to aircraft and engines. Airbus is collaborating closely with fuel producers and regulators to advance both directions.

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3. Demand-side mechanisms are essential to scale SAF production

Although production capacity is growing, demand is lagging behind supply, which holds back investment. Julien highlighted that regulation, long-term offtake agreements, and willingness to pay the green premium are critical levers to break the current cycle.

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4. Passenger and corporate education is key to adoption

Awareness of SAF—and how it differs from traditional carbon offsetting—remains surprisingly low, even within Airbus. Educating travelers and corporate travel decision-makers is necessary to unlock voluntary demand and justify premium pricing.​

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5. Hydrogen and CDR will complement SAF rather than replace it

Airbus is investing heavily in hydrogen aircraft development, which remains a major engineering challenge but will ultimately enable cheaper SAF production. SAF, hydrogen, and CDR must work together because even with maximum fuel efficiency and SAF usage, aviation will still produce residual emissions that must be removed via CDR to reach true net-zero.