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Eric Jiang

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has urged the government to develop a longer-term plan for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beyond 2030, including mandatory targets and consistent policies to help scale up the industry and meet the city’s climate goals.
The airline made the call after a mainland Chinese official on Monday proposed that authorities in the Greater Bay Area introduce more favourable policies, including subsidies, to boost sales of sustainable fuel.
Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam Siu-por said scalability remained the main challenge, noting that SAF accounted for “well under 1 per cent” of global jet fuel use.
“No airline, producer, city or government could change that alone,” he said. “We need supply, demand, policy and finance to move together.”
SAF is a renewable fuel made from materials such as used cooking oil and agricultural waste. It can reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared with conventional jet fuel.
In the city’s first five-year plan, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu set a target for SAF to account for 1 to 3 per cent of fuel used on flights departing Hong Kong by 2030.
Lam said Cathay Group was actively supporting the market through direct purchases – including Chinese-manufactured SAF – while investing in future supply chains and next-generation technologies.
The company was also working with corporate and cargo customers to create demand through its corporate SAF programme and to help build a wider ecosystem through the Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition and partnerships with industry, universities and research institutions, he said.
“The next step is to provide greater certainty,” Lam said. “Producers need confidence that demand will be there. Airlines need fuel that is available and affordable. Investors need clarity on the direction of policy. A well-designed policy can connect these needs.”

Grace Cheung, Cathay Pacific’s general manager for sustainability, told the South China Morning Post on Monday that she hoped the government could have a clearer long-term strategy.
“Policymakers need to give us what we call a longer-term road map, so that we as an airline can prepare accordingly,” she said.
“For example, we could tell producers that the mandatory usage target is going to keep rising, so we might as well lock in multi-year procurement agreements in advance.”
Cheung pointed to the European Union’s SAF road map to 2050 as a model that could help the industry plan over a longer time frame.
She added that Hong Kong and mainland authorities should communicate to ensure policy consistency, and address whether SAF produced on the mainland would face customs and tax requirements.
On ramping up the use of SAF, Cheung said Cathay would continue to support voluntary purchases through its corporate programme and the coalition but noted that mandatory usage requirements would be needed to drive scalability.
She said Cathay’s SAF use stood at about 0.7 per cent in 2025 – a relatively high proportion given that the global average remained below 1 per cent – but added that further expansion would depend on market and policy developments.
On the same day, Qu Yong, head of the energy division at the Guangzhou Development and Reform Commission, suggested that authorities in the Greater Bay Area – which encompasses Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in neighbouring Guangdong province – introduce financial subsidies and policy incentives to convert SAF production capacity into actual sales.
Qu observed that while expanding production capacity was straightforward, converting that potential into active output, sales and practical application required greater effort.
Qu added that the government should promote research and the recognition of standards to broaden the range of eligible feedstocks beyond used cooking oil.


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Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam says scalability remains challenge, notes SAF still accounts for ‘well under 1 per cent’ of global jet fuel use


Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam says scalability remains challenge, notes SAF still accounts for ‘well under 1 per cent’ of global jet fuel use.


Cathay calls on Hong Kong to map out long-term sustainable fuel plan beyond 2030

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam says scalability remains challenge, notes SAF still accounts for ‘well under 1 per cent’ of global jet fuel use

Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam says scalability remains challenge, notes SAF still accounts for ‘well under 1 per cent’ of global jet fuel use