Deep Sky is adding major lift to Canada’s carbon removal sector, announcing that it has deployed Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology from European aerospace giant Airbus at its flagship Deep Sky Alpha facility in Innisfail, Alberta.
The newly installed Airbus DAC module can remove 250 tonnes of CO₂ per year and arrived on-site after just eight months of engineering and manufacturing.
Adapted from the same life-support systems Airbus uses aboard the International Space Station, the modular unit pulls CO₂ directly from ambient air using a solid amine-based filter. Once saturated, the system applies heat to release highly concentrated CO₂ for storage while returning cleaned air to the atmosphere. Airbus also designed the module’s energy system to recover input heat and optimize efficiency—critical for scaling DAC at commercial levels.
Deep Sky CEO Alex Petre says the partnership represents an important step toward industrial-scale carbon removal. “In order for carbon dioxide removal to have an impact, we need to develop technologies that can rapidly scale to remove billions of tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere,” Petre said. “We’re incredibly pleased to be hosting Airbus technology in Canada and look forward to a continued partnership in the future.”
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Deep Sky Alpha, which began operating earlier this year, is the world’s first dedicated carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre. The Alberta hub hosts multiple DAC providers for piloting, optimization, and CDR credit production. Airbus joins a growing roster of partners already working with Deep Sky, including Airhive, Phlair, MissionZero, Skyrenu, Skytree, Carbon Capture Inc., and GE Vernova.
The deployment caps a period of strong momentum for Montreal-based Deep Sky. In late 2024, the company secured a $40 million grant commitment from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst—its first investment in a Canadian and DAC-focused project. Around the same time, Deep Sky announced founding carbon removal credit buyers Royal Bank of Canada and Microsoft, which committed to purchasing 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ removal over 10 years, with options for up to 1 million additional tonnes tied to future commercial projects.
With Airbus now on-site in Alberta and a growing pipeline of partners and buyers, Deep Sky is positioning Canada as a central site for global carbon removal innovation.
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