Virgin Australia, Qatar Airways sign sustainability-focused agreement

Photo: Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia announced Oct. 25 that it and Qatar Airways intend to expand their strategic partnership, signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on a range of sustainability initiatives.

Areas of focus under the MOU will include aiming to advance the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and low-carbon aviation fuel (LCAF), environmental management including waste and energy management, sustainable procurement and aviation workforce development.

The certification, production and commercial uptake of SAF and LCAF in Australia—including through potential collaboration on relevant projects—will be areas of focus for the partnership.  

Another area of opportunity that will be explored is sustainability-related customer solutions. 

Both airlines also recognize the importance of developing the human capital of Australia’s aviation-related ecosystem through learning, education and development opportunities.

The MOU was signed earlier this month by Christian Bennett, Virgin Australia’s chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer, and Fathi Atti, Qatar Airways Group’s senior vice president of aeropolitical and corporate affairs.  

Also in October, Qatar Airways Group announced it intends to acquire a minority 25 percent equity stake in Virgin Australia, subject to approval by the Australian government.

“This is our first sustainability-focused MOU with a partner airline, reflecting the growing and strategic nature of our relationship with Qatar Airways,” Bennett said. “It allows Virgin Australia  to harness the scale and expertise of the world’s best airline to help tackle a range of sustainability challenges—from the adoption of SAF-related solutions to customer solutions, to workforce development. We look forward to working closely with the Qatar Airways team to enhance and broaden the impact of our efforts to advance environmentally sustainable and inclusive operations.”

Atti added, “This MOU not only further strengthens the strategic partnership between Qatar Airways Group and Virgin Australia, but it also cements the shared commitment towards achieving our common objectives in the area of sustainability. Driving progress in environmental sustainability is something that is at the very heart of Qatar Airways’ corporate culture. We are at the forefront of the aviation sector’s efforts in various areas, evident through our work in climate change and waste management, as well as the successful introduction of an integrated environmental management system. We also recognize the importance of developing the industry’s long-term human capital. We look forward to working with Virgin Australia to share our experiences, and continue to build upon our strong leadership in these areas.”