Airbus is investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology pioneer and producer LanzaJet, underscoring the aerospace giant's ambition to catalyze the global development of eco-friendly biofuels. LanzaJet and Airbus did not specify the amount of the investment, but LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis called the contribution from Airbus "important" for the growth of the company.
This investment will support the development of alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) pathways, or the process by which alcohol from biomass gets converted to SAF—an important step required to produce the alternative fuel at scale. It will also enable LanzaJet to expand its capability and capacity to scale its proprietary ethanol-to-SAF technologies.
“Sustainable aviation fuels are one of the most important levers available to decarbonize aviation, but their production is still limited," said Airbus chief sustainability officer Julie Kitcher. "Our partnership with LanzaJet demonstrates Airbus' commitment to working with leading energy technology suppliers to explore innovative production pathways and scale SAF."