Airbus, Qantas invest in fund for decarbonization technologies

Qantas announced April 8 that it and Airbus have jointly committed to invest AUD$15 million (USD$9 million) into Climate Tech Partners, a leading climate-focused venture-capital fund, to support their shared ambition to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other aviation-decarbonization technologies.

The announcement was made in Sydney by the chief sustainability officers for Airbus and Qantas, Julie Kitcher and Fiona Messent, respectively.

CTP’s unique approach involves working closely with corporate partners to identify and support technology solutions tailored to aviation needs.

The collaboration with CTP will help stimulate technological advancements in SAF, particularly in Australia, through a dedicated-investment vehicle.

It will focus on technologies for SAF production, feedstock development and other value-chain innovations and will sit alongside Climate Tech Partner’s main fund. 

CTP will leverage the diverse skills and knowledge base of its group of 12 partners—made up of leaders in industries ranging from energy generation to infrastructure—to provide mentorship and strategic guidance to enable further collaboration.

This initiative will help bridge the gap that Qantas and Airbus have identified between early-stage climate technologies and at-scale commercial production in Australia.

Through this partnership, CTP will invest on behalf of Qantas and Airbus into leading local and global startups focused on SAF and other innovative technologies.

As these solutions mature, Qantas and Airbus have the option to explore further follow-on and direct investments enabling deployment of the startups’ technologies in real-world Australian projects.

The investment will be made from Qantas and Airbus’ USD$200 million partnership established in 2022 to help accelerate SAF production.

“Decarbonizing aviation at speed and scale requires bold action and collaboration across sectors—from airlines, manufacturers and airports to regulators, governments and investors,” Kitcher said. “This partnership with CTP and Qantas highlights that the scaling of sustainable aviation fuel needs innovative solutions for a nascent technology that will drive innovation, attract investment and create new jobs in Australia, which I believe is well-positioned to be a leader in low-carbon fuels. At Airbus, we are honored to be partnering with Qantas and now CTP to transform aviation for the long term.”

Messent added, “Sustainable aviation fuel is the most effective tool we have to decarbonize aviation and, with Airbus, we’re investing significantly in ways to make it more available and accessible.  As well as funding, this partnership will help provide a vote of confidence in new technologies so they can be developed, scaled and integrated in the SAF supply chain, while also providing companies with access to Qantas and Airbus as they develop and test their solutions. For Australia, an onshore SAF industry will mean improved national fuel security, more jobs and economic benefit, so it’s fantastic to be collaborating across industries to help accelerate local production.”

Patrick Sieb, the co-founder of CTP, said, “Working with global leading aviation and aerospace companies allows us to not only make more deeply informed investment decisions in this complex area but attract and support the best companies by helping them accelerate through industry engagement.”

Climate Tech Partners specializes in investing in globally scalable technology solutions, primarily at the Series A stage, across the energy and power, transport and logistics, and industrial and resources sectors.