Since planes have flown commercially, airfreight has been an invisible superhighway, quickly and quietly shuttling everything from pharmaceuticals, to fresh fruits, to time-sensitive e-commerce packages all over the map. But the industry’s carbon tab is looming, and the question has shifted from if sustainability matters to how fast can we move on it?
Canada: When policy leads
Ottawa doesn’t sit idle. Canada was among the first in the hemisphere to commit to net-zero aviation emissions by 2050, rolling out its Clean Fuel Standard and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production incentives. Air Canada Cargo has partnered on SAF for international routes and is upgrading to fuel-efficient freighters.
Canada’s advantage? A compact domestic market means less carbon-intensive regional flying. The real test comes from long transpacific and Atlantic hauls where fuel efficiency matters most. Think of Canada as a policy pioneer, smaller scale, but carrying receipts and a roadmap.
The United States: Big, bold, and complicated
The US dominates airfreight in the western hemisphere by sheer volume, making sustainability both a superpower and a headache, depending on who you ask. Major players like FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Air are experimenting with SAF, electric ground equipment, and future electric aircraft.
The Inflation Reduction Act threw serious money at the problem, up to US$1.75 per gallon in SAF tax credits. And it’s working, sort of. Domestic SAF production is ramping up, but still represents less than one percent of total jet fuel consumption.
The US advantage is scale, when you move the most freight, even small efficiency gains save massive carbon. And momentum is building: new SAF production capacity is expected to more than double between 2024 and 2025. The challenge? That same scale makes change incredibly complex.
Latin America: Abundant resources, persistent obstacles
Latin America has extraordinary biodiversity, bold environmental commitments, and a biofuels industry (especially Brazil’s) that could scale SAF from sugarcane and local feedstocks. So what’s the holdup? Money, infrastructure, and economic volatility.
Avianca Cargo and LATAM Cargo have launched SAF test flights and carbon-offset programmes. Airport hubs like Bogotá, Santiago, and São Paulo are modernising ground equipment and pursuing IATA’s Environmental Assessment certification.
The Caribbean, meanwhile, focuses on resilience, when your airports are in hurricane zones, “green” means “can we rebuild sustainably after the next storm?”
A patchwork reality
There’s no single “Americas” story. Canada has policy discipline but limited scale. The US has resources but staggering complexity. Latin America has feedstock gold mines but financing gaps.
Yet pressure is ramping everywhere. Shippers, from fashion to pharma, demand greener supply chains. Investors scrutinise ESG commitments. Regulators tighten emissions targets. The carriers that crack the sustainability code first will lock in long-term partnerships with brands desperate to clean up their supply chains. Meanwhile, airports that can market themselves as low-carbon hubs are already seeing premium customers willing to pay for verifiable green credentials.
Sustainability more than compliance; it’s competitive advantage.
What’s Next
The Americas will advance on parallel tracks. North America will lean on policy and innovation to push SAF adoption. Latin America could turn its biofuel advantage into opportunity, when the financing flood gates open up. Collaboration will be key, because sustainability mandates don’t cross borders.
Though the Americas are writing a patchwork story of green airfreight; uneven, sometimes messy, but undeniably in motion. Together, they have the chance to build a model where sustainability isn’t a side project, it’s the set path to long-term growth. The question isn’t whether air cargo will go green. It’s who gets there first.
