Flying for business, fuelled by SAF: Airbus and Lufthansa team up
Airbus is collaborating with Lufthansa on an initiative to increase the uptake of SAF within the business travel sector.
The German airline group has offered a new “Sustainable Corporate Value Fare” for Airbus employees flying with Lufthansa within Germany.
The fare targeted at business customers allows for proportional offsetting of calculated CO2 emissions through the use of SAF.
Incorporating SAF into business travel
Raphael Duflos, vice president corporate services procurement at Airbus, said the manufacturer had been working with Lufthansa Group since 2024 to “customise their ‘Sustainable Corporate Value Fare’ to meet the specific needs of Airbus travellers”.
He said: “They have helped us to create a meaningful offer incorporating Sustainable Aviation Fuels, starting in the German domestic market.
“We are confident that such ‘Sustainable Corporate Value Fare’ is going to be successful across the Business Travel ecosystem.”
Dieter Vranckx, chief commercial officer for Lufthansa Group, said that for many companies and its employees, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor in travel decisions: “Together with our customers and strong partners from the industry, we strive towards greater sustainability.
“I am particularly pleased and thankful that our long-standing partner Airbus has opted for a corporate fare with SAF, demonstrating its leading role also in the field of sustainability.”
Microsoft’s deal
Large corporations have turned to SAF as a lever to reduce their carbon emissions.
For example, International Airlines Group and Microsoft have a deal whereby the technology giant co-funds a SAF purchase agreement.
This is used by IAG’s airlines, including to ship data centre components that contribute to Microsoft’s technology supply chain.
The SAF used as part of the IAG and Microsoft agreement is produced from used cooking oil and food waste at Phillips 66’s Humberside refinery, and from sustainably sourced bioethanol at Georgia-based Freedom Pines Fuels, LanzaJet’s facility in the United States.
