The urgency to decarbonise air cargo is no longer theoretical. While long-term solutions like hydrogen propulsion and zero-emission flight remain distant, pressure is mounting for near-term action. Airbus, which presented and unveiled its A350 freighter at Air Cargo Europe this year, is positioning its latest aircraft as a ready-made answer — one that, paired with a scaled rollout of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), can make an immediate dent in the industry’s carbon footprint.
“The A350 freighter offers a 40 percent reduction in fuel burn per tonne compared to current-generation aircraft like the 747-400 freighter,” said Thomas Burger, marketing director for environment and sustainability at Airbus. “This is absolutely key in our ambition to decarbonise the aviation industry and specifically in the cargo domain.”
The A350F represents Airbus’s first new-generation freighter and plays a central role in its interim decarbonisation strategy. Burger is candid about the timeline: disruptive propulsion systems are coming, but they are not here yet. Until then, replacing older freighters is the most pragmatic way to reduce emissions at scale.
“One of the biggest parts of the decarbonisation in the immediate term is the replacement of current-generation aircraft with new-generation,” he said. “So the A350 freighter is the first new-generation freighter onto the market. This is actually providing operators with an immediate CO₂ reduction capability compared to the aircraft that they’re flying today.”
In parallel, Airbus is investing in several longer-term technologies. “We’re working on a portfolio of different disruptive technologies,” said Burger. “For example, the extra-performance wing, which is increasing the wingspan of the aircraft to bring aerodynamic efficiencies.” New propulsion is also in the pipeline.
“We’re working on breakthrough engine technologies with open rotor. We’re going to have an open rotor demonstrator flying by the end of this decade,” he added. “Together with all of these technologies, we want to then develop those that are mature and that we will be able to employ in the future.”
SAF bottlenecks and supply gaps
Technology alone, however, is not enough. SAF remains the industry’s most viable short-term tool to reduce emissions from current fleets. Burger highlighted the immediate impact possible through drop-in SAF use, but also acknowledged the limitations of supply.
“All of our freighter aircraft can fly with a 50 percent SAF blend, and we’re working together up to 100 percent drop-in SAF by 2030,” he said. “We aim to have a 30 percent blend of SAF for our BelugaXL fleet, which is transporting our components around our sites in Europe.”
Airbus is also leveraging its own operations to inform industry-wide advocacy. “Through that, we have an understanding of the challenges involved in getting hold of SAF,” Burger explained, “and we can then work with the airlines and the industry, states, and international bodies to ensure that SAF production keeps up with the demands and the requirements to decarbonise and to reach net zero by 2050.”
The use of the BelugaXL fleet for SAF blending provides a live testbed, reinforcing Airbus’s role as what Burger described as a “catalyst” for adoption:
“We see ourselves as a catalyst in order to help the industry as a whole move towards the usage of higher quantities of SAF in our own operations.”
Lifecycle thinking and end-of-life design
Though operations account for the vast majority of emissions, Airbus is also expanding its focus to lifecycle impacts.
“Predominantly, the biggest part of aircraft emissions comes from the operational phase,” Burger said. “That’s around 95 percent of the emissions during the lifecycle of an aircraft.”
Still, the company is investing in improving its end-of-life processes. “We’re also very heavily invested in recycling,” he noted. “We’re a world leader through our joint venture, which is called Tarmac, with sites in Spain, France, and also China, which recycle more than 90 percent of the weight of aircraft.”
This recycling capacity reinforces the long-term sustainability case for newer aircraft, especially in a future where environmental credentials may directly influence asset values and leasing terms.
From ambition to adoption
The message from Airbus is clear: early action will be driven by replacement and SAF, not moonshots.
“The adoption of SAF into our aircraft and aircraft in the industry… those two combined, the technology and the SAF, are contributing to well over 80 percent of the decarbonisation effort of the industry today and in the future,” Burger said.
Yet that vision depends not just on what manufacturers can offer, but on what regulators, SAF producers, and operators are willing — or able — to take up. The pressure to decarbonise is colliding with squeezed margins, supply constraints, and technical inertia.
