The Malaysian government has announced state-owned oil company Petronas will collaborate with major palm oil producers to manufacture sustainable aviation fuel from palm oil waste. The feedstock is contentious in many western countries as development of commercial palm oil plantations often comes at the expense of tropical forests, displacing and endangering wildlife. The Malaysian move, announced in the government’s 2025 federal budget, is part of a broader drive to strengthen the country’s palm oil industry, one of the largest in the world and a key national exporter. Meanwhile, its northern neighbour Thailand is to pump first supplies of SAF to Bangkok’s two main airports, while to the south, Singapore Airlines Group is preparing to receive 500 tonnes of the fuel from Neste’s local refinery. Both the latter SAF consignments were produced from waste oils and fats.

The decision that Petronas would work with palm oil producers to make low emission aviation fuel was announced by Malaysia’s prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, as he handed down the country’s 2025 financial budget.

But rather than a specific sustainability initiative, the announcement was buried on page 83 of the PM’s budget speech in a section dedicated to strengthening the country’s palm oil sector.

While the volumes, delivery timeframe and prospective users of the palm oil SAF were not disclosed, the PM specifically referenced the Petronas initiative as part of a broader endorsement and defence of the palm oil industry, which in the new fiscal year will also receive incentives totalling 100 million Malaysian ringgit ($23m) to replace ageing, unproductive palm trees with new crops.

The PM also encouraged major palm oil companies to support small adjacent landholders “by supplying the latest seeds and the best fertilisers, as well as helping them achieve compliance with sustainability standards.”

And he announced an allocation of 65 million Malaysian ringgit ($15m) “to counter misconceptions in Europe and enhance the sustainability of palm oil,” but provided no further details of how this campaign would be delivered.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), parent of Malaysia Airlines, has joined the national CEO Action Network – a coalition focused on sustainability advocacy, capacity building, action and performance. MAG will contribute to the Diversity Equity Inclusion workstream, which aligns with its commitment to IATA’s 25by2025 initiative aimed at improving women’s representation in the aviation sector.

“We are proud to join CAN, focusing on establishing collective commitments to climate action and social stewardship,” commented Datuk Captain Izham Ismail, Group Managing Director of MAG. “This initiative aligns seamlessly with our sustainability ambitions, particularly our decarbonisation goals and our commitment to creating a positive socio-economic impact.”

Across Malaysia’s northern border, Thai energy company Bangchak Corporation is delivering first supplies of blended SAF into the fuel pipeline system supplying Bangkok’s two international airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang.

The fuel was delivered as part of a pilot programme with Bangkok Aviation Fuel Services and BAFS Pipeline Transportation to help prepare infrastructure for SAF production and use in Thailand, and to help achieve recognition as a renewable energy leader within the broader Southeast Asia region.

“Bangchak has invested over 8.5 billion Thai Baht ($250m) in developing SAF production from used cooking oil through its subsidiary BSGF,” reported the energy company.

“The construction of the SAF production unit at Bangchak Refinery in Phra Khanong, near Bangkok, is progressing as planned, with production expected to commence in early Q2 of 2025 with a capacity of 1 million litres per day.

“This initiative aims to prepare the aviation industry, both domestic and international airlines within the SAF alliance, to support the industry’s goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in alignment with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Air Transport Association.”

In Singapore, renewable fuels producer Neste is due this quarter to deliver the second of two 500-tonne consignments of blended SAF to the Changi Airport for use by Singapore Airlines and its low-cost sibling Scoot.

Earlier this year their parent company, Singapore Airlines Group (SIA), purchased 1,000 tonnes of the fuel from Neste’s refinery near the border with Malaysia. During the second quarter, the airlines became the first to receive the waste oil SAF from Neste through the airport’s fuel supply system.

Soon after, a Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 destined for Hanoi became the first visiting carrier from the Asia-Pacific region to uplift Neste SAF from Changi, followed by a long-haul Emirates Boeing 777-300.  

Neste’s refurbished plant, opened mid last year, is the world’s largest SAF manufacturing facility, capable of producing 1 million tonnes of the fuel per year. As well as supplying the Singapore hub, the facility also produces SAF for export to other markets including North America and Europe, where demand is currently far higher than in the Asia-Pacific region. The Singapore government has decreed that from 2026, at least 1% of the fuel used by each departing flight will need to be SAF, with mandated proportions to increase to between 3% and 5% by 2030.

Photo (Martijn Gijsbertsen): Malaysia Airlines flew an inaugural flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in December 2021 with SAF supplied by Neste and Petronas

Tony Harrington

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US-based carbon conversion startup AIR COMPANY has raised $69 million in fresh funding to progress its proprietary Carbon Conversion Reactor technology, designed as a one-step system to transform carbon dioxide into products including sustainable aviation fuel. The Series B funding round was led by business aviation fuel supplier Avfuel and supported by sustainable investment groups and other aviation companies. Through the new process, CO2 that routinely would be discharged into the atmosphere is instead captured at source within industrial plants. Then, using its patented AIRMADE technology to mimic the natural process of photosynthesis, the company combines CO2 and green hydrogen to create SAF, alcohol and chemicals, including perfumes.

In addition to Avfuel, which will be represented on the AIR COMPANY board of directors, the latest backers of AIR COMPANY’s AIRMADE system include Alaska Airlines, sustainable investment groups Lowercarbon Capital, In-Q-Tel, and Connecticut Innovation’s Climate Technology Fund, plus aviation support businesses JSSI, Duncan Aviation and infrastructure provider Sheltair Aviation.

Previous investors JetBlue Ventures, Toyota Ventures and Carbon Direct Capital also participated in the latest capital raising, which will be used to boost AIR COMPANY’s engineering and research and development capabilities to accelerate development of the AIRMADE system to produce new fuels for commercial and government customers. US-based carrier JetBlue and UK-based Virgin Atlantic Airways are among the first customers to commit to buying SAF, as is the US Defense Innovation Unit, with a $65 million agreement.

The company says its one-step process is more energy-efficient than competing two-step conversion systems in which CO2 and green hydrogen are combined in a syngas generator then further processed in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor to create liquid fuel.

Once captured at industrial plants, the CO2 sourced by AIR COMPANY is cooled, pressurised and liquified, and green hydrogen is produced by the company through in-house electrolysis, powered by renewable energy.

Residual oxygen is discharged into the atmosphere, while the hydrogen gas and captured CO2 are each transferred to the Carbon Conversion Reactor which blends the two to directly produce liquid fuel.

“Our technology is designed to be modular to facilitate adoption and scalability,” explained the company’s CEO, Gregory Constantine.

“This adds flexibility to fuel supply chains, strengthens energy security, and fosters domestic job creation,” added Dr Stafford Sheehan, who, with Constantine, co-founded the business.

Said CR Sincock, Executive VP of Avfuel Corporation: “The aviation sector faces a critical challenge in meeting the growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel. SAF represents a crucial pathway to decarbonisation and AIR COMPANY’s innovative CO2-derived SAF technology stands out as a leading solution.

“By partnering with AIR COMPANY, Avfuel is committed to accelerating the widespread adoption of this high performing fuel and driving meaningful emissions reductions across the industry.”

Earlier this year, Avfuel also extended to 2027 a partnership launched in 2021 with SAF producer Neste to supply the fuel to business aviation operators and support facilities in the US. Each year of the deal, AvFuel has tripled its SAF offtake from Neste, a trend which it expects to continue under the extended agreement.

Among AIR COMPANY’s other new investors, several have supported other sustainable aviation programmes, including Lowercarbon Capital, which has also backed Sweden’s Heart Aerospace in developing the hybrid-electric ES-30 regional plane; Connecticut Innovation Climate Tech Fund, which has backed electric air taxi developer Eve Air Mobility; and In-Q-Tel, which has supported drone logistics company Swoop Aero.

“As we scale globally,” said AIR COMPANY, “we’ll commercialise our technology and products while offering equitable distribution of our systems to communities disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.” 

Photo: AIR COMPANY’s AIRMADE technology

Tony Harrington

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A slew of new sustainable aviation fuel initiatives have been announced in the US, including major supplies for United Airlines and JetBlue at their respective hubs in Chicago and New York, Airbus investing in emerging SAF producer LanzaJet and UK start-up Firefly Green Fuels partnering with US biosolids feedstock provider Synagro Technologies to produce low carbon fuel in North America. United will receive up to 1 million gallons (3,000 tonnes) of SAF during 2024 from Finland’s Neste, which has just commissioned a new terminal facility in Houston, Texas, while JetBlue will take at least 1 million gallons from World Fuel Services, potentially by the fourth quarter of this year. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, meanwhile, has joined a list of big-name investors in LanzaJet, which recently activated the world’s first ethanol-to-SAF facility, Freedom Pines Fuels in Georgia.

By signing for SAF from Neste’s newly-commissioned SAF terminal capacity at ONEOK’s Galena Park Terminal facility in Houston, Texas, United, the world’s third biggest airline, will become the first carrier to buy SAF to power regular commercial flights from Chicago O’Hare, the third busiest airport in the US.

The new capacity at ONEOK’s terminal provides Neste with storage capacity of up to 100,000 tons (around 33.5 million gallons) and is directly connected to the energy pipeline infrastructure in the eastern part of the US. The SAF is expected to be piped to Chicago from August, expanding the availability of Neste’s product to airlines operating from east of the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast.

The deal has been underpinned by the Illinois SAF Purchase Credit, introduced last year for every gallon of the fuel sold to or used by an airline in the state.

“This is what happens when innovation, leadership and policy come together,” said United President Brett Hart, who praised the Illinois Legislature and State Governor JB Pritzker for introducing the incentives which powered the SAF deal at Chicago O’Hare. “While the market for SAF is still in its infancy, there is a huge opportunity today for airlines and policymakers to work together to support its continued growth.”

Alexander Kueper, Neste’s VP, Renewable Aviation Business, said the deal expanded an existing partnership with United, which has already procured Neste SAF in San Francisco and at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. “We are excited to expand our partnership with United and see our SAF being used at one of the major airports in the US,” he said. “It underlines our commitment to supporting the US aviation industry in its efforts to decarbonise and shows the important role that policy supports like the federal SAF 40B credit and the Illinois SAF Purchase Credit play in accelerating SAF usage.”

JetBlue, too, is ramping up its SAF use, signing with US-based World Fuel Services to provide the first regular supply of blended SAF to New York’s John F Kennedy Airport, pumped in via existing infrastructure including the Colonial Pipeline, America’s largest pipeline system for refined fuel products.

Neat SAF produced by Diamond Green Diesel will be blended with conventional jet fuel by Valero Marketing and Supply Company, then delivered to World Fuel. The airline will acquire at least 1 million gallons of neat SAF, equivalent to 3.3 million gallons of blended fuel, potentially as early as the fourth quarter of this year. It will also have an option to procure up to 4 million gallons more (about 13.3 million gallons blended), though the timeline for the additional fuel was not disclosed.

“This newly available SAF in our hometown is a key signal of the growing engagement by major fuel producers and the potential of SAF to meaningfully address aviation’s carbon emissions,” said Sara Bogdan, the airline’s Managing Director of sustainability and environmental social governance. “By leveraging Valero’s globally recognised expertise in energy markets and logistics, and by utilising existing jet fuel distribution infrastructure, this new, large-scale supply of SAF is set to be a pivotal moment as the industry grows the use of SAF.”

Brad Hurwitz, World Fuel’s SVP, Supply and Trading, welcomed the JetBlue deal to bring SAF to JFK Airport, strengthening the energy company’s ambition to develop a consistent flow of the fuel to the US east coast.

“Today, as a result of state-level programmes incentivising the use of renewable fuels, the majority of domestically supplied blended SAF is delivered into west coast airports,” he said. “Engagement across public and private sectors is needed to expand the supply of SAF to more cities and grow the economies of scale.”

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has become the latest investor to support US-based SAF producer LanzaJet, strengthening that company’s plans to produce the fuel not only in America but in multiple other markets. To scale its alcohol-to-jet fuel technology, LanzaJet is involved in projects in 25 countries across five continents.

By participating in LanzaJet’s s latest growth equity funding round, Airbus joined a high-profile list of investors and funders including All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Southwest Airlines, French airports company Groupe ADP, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, sustainable finance group Breakthrough Energy, Shell, Suncor Energy and Japan’s Mitsui & Co and MUFG Bank.

“Sustainable aviation fuels are one of the most important levers available to decarbonise aviation, but their production is still limited,” said Julie Kitcher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Airbus, echoing a consistent and increasing concern in the aviation sector. “Our partnership with LanzaJet demonstrates Airbus ’commitment to work with leading energy technology suppliers to explore innovative production pathways and scale SAF.

“This important partnership with LanzaJet underlines the importance of new technologies and cross-sector collaboration to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.”

The renewable fuel company uses low-carbon ethanol to create SAF, a process it says will reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% compared to conventional fossil-based jet fuels.  

“LanzaJet intentionally developed a diverse portfolio of strategic investors consisting of leading global companies to ensure we have the ecosystem to scale the SAF industry,” said CEO Jimmy Samartzis. “This important investment from Airbus supports the growth of our company, enabling LanzaJet to scale the production and deployment of SAF to continue working towards meeting aviation’s decarbonisation goals and developing a more sustainable industry.”

LanzaJet is involved in developing a SAF production project – Project Speedbird – in the UK in partnership with British Airways and Nova Pangaea Technologies. In the reverse direction, UK-based start-up Firefly Green Fuels, whose technology converts sewage sludge into high performance fuels including SAF, has announced that Baltimore-headquartered Synagro will be the exclusive supplier of biosolid content in the American market.

Firefly uses as process called hydrothermal liquefaction to chemically transform biosolid waste into biocrude and biochar, the former upgraded to SAF and the remainder to other uses including fertiliser. It recently secured investment funding from a partnership of Boeing and sustainable investment group Clear Sky. 

“This is a perfect partnership with monumental implications,” said Synagro’s CEO, Bob Preston. “We’re pairing Synagro’s expertise in sustainable solutions for biosolids with Firefly’s SAF technology to evolve the circular economy.”  

James Hygate, CEO of Firefly Green Fuels, said there was a huge requirement for SAF in North America, the world’s biggest combined air transport market. “By working together, we can bring operations online quickly, creating new jobs and vast volumes of truly sustainable fuel.”

Photo: United will become the first carrier to power regular commercial flights from Chicago O’Hare with SAF

Tony Harrington

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Momentum is building in the Asia-Pacific region around improving the sustainability of the aviation sector and the use of sustainable aviation fuels. Major rivals Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines have signed a MoU to work together on a range of sustainability measures, while Vietnam Airlines has signed up to IATA’s CO2 Connect platform and recently conducted its first SAF flight, using a blend produced and supplied from Neste’s Singapore refinery. Dubai-based Emirates has also taken its first shipment in Singapore of SAF from Neste. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand has received 500,000 litres of SAF produced in China by Hong Kong energy company EcoCeres and blended by ExxonMobil. Meanwhile, Korean Air is expanding its cargo SAF programme through a new partnership with global logistics company CEVA.

The Cathay-Singapore collaboration was agreed by their respective chief executives at IATA’s recent annual general meeting in Dubai, reiterating the commitment of both carriers to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and help drive the industry’s shift to more sustainable operations.

The two will jointly press for increased use of SAF across the APAC region and look for opportunities to jointly procure the fuel at specific locations. They will also publicly promote the fuel’s key role in cleaner aviation, advocate for Asia-Pacific governments to enact SAF-supportive policies and urge the creation of a single global accounting and reporting framework to ensure that emission reductions claimed from the use of SAF are both transparent and verified.   

Additionally, Cathay and Singapore will share best practices to reduce single-use plastics, minimise waste and improve energy efficiency in ground operations.

“As part of our collaborative ethos of ‘Greener Together’ we actively seek like-minded industry leaders for strategic partnerships in transitioning to sustainable aviation,” said Cathay’s CEO, Ronald Lam. “Our collaboration with Singapore Airlines aims to accelerate and support the development of the SAF supply chain in the region, fostering a reliable SAF ecosystem to enable the industry to achieve its long-term decarbonisation goals.”

Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said his company was committed to embedding sustainable practices across all areas of the business but added the airline could not achieve all targets by acting alone. “Our partnership with Cathay signifies our mutual ambition to enhance collaboration in sustainability initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said. “Together we are helping to set the foundation for a more sustainable aviation industry and ensure that future generations continue to reap the benefits of air travel.” 

Also at the Dubai AGM, Vietnam Airlines joined IATA’s CO2 Connect project, through which airlines contribute operational data to the programme’s emissions calculator to help accurately quantify carbon emissions for each passenger by route flown and aircraft type.  Other participants in the programme include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways, all of which are members of the oneworld global airline alliance.

“Reducing CO2 emissions and promoting sustainable development are top priorities for the global aviation industry,” explained IATA. “However, the measurement and reporting of CO2 emissions have been inconsistent due to the various methodologies used by different airlines.”

The CO2 Connect project creates a common platform for airlines to supply consistent calculation of aircraft CO2 emissions to enable both carriers and passengers to make environmentally informed decisions. The programme uses Recommended Practice Per Passenger CO2 Calculation Methodology (RP-1726), which assesses metrics including airline fuel measurement protocols, the CO2 allocation between passengers and cargo, and cabin class to help ensure the most accurate carbon footprint calculations.

“By participating in CO2 Connect,” said IATA, “Vietnam Airlines underscores its commitment to sustainable development, contributing to the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as pledged by Vietnam at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.”

In May, Vietnam Airlines conducted its first flight to use sustainable aviation fuel, with an Airbus A321 taking on blended fuel at Singapore Changi for a return flight to Hanoi. Additionally, the airline became the first visiting carrier from the Asia-Pacific region to benefit from SAF produced at the Neste refinery in Singapore.

“We believe that the use of SAF will help create a more sustainable future for the aviation industry, providing passengers with both excellent service quality and environmental friendliness,” said Nguyen Chien Thang, EVP of Vietnam Airlines. “We are collaborating with our partners in the supply chain to expand the use of SAF in the future, thereby contributing to the successful achievement of goals related to net-zero emissions and climate change prevention.”

Emirates too has now started using Neste’s blended SAF in Singapore, produced from sustainably sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials including used cooking oil and animal fat. It is the first SAF procurement by Emirates in Asia and part of a broader global agreement with Neste.

“Emirates’ investment into Neste-produced SAF in Singapore marks a first step forward in our SAF adoption in Asia, a region that is primed to become a leading supplier of SAF, which continues to be in short supply,” said Adel Al Redha, the airline’s deputy president and COO. “While the activation of this agreement marks a milestone in our SAF journey in a new region, there’s still a lot of work to do. And as we procure SAF for the short term, we’ve got our sights set on longer-term agreements to help scale up a steady supply of SAF for our operations.”

The airline also uses SAF on flights from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris, Lyon and Oslo, and late last year integrated SAF into fuelling systems at its home hub, Dubai.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand has acquired 500,000 litres of SAF produced from used cooking oil in China by Hong Kong headquartered renewable energy company EcoCeres and blended by Exxon Mobil.

The SAF was delivered to Wellington Airport for use in Air New Zealand’s fleet of ATR 72 regional airliners. The carrier says this volume of SAF is sufficient to fuel 165 Airbus A320 flights between the country’s capital, Wellington, and New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. 

“Airlines are signing supply arrangements for SAF 10 years into the future and beyond,” said Air NZ’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Kiri Hannifin, “so we need to be part of the picture from the start, otherwise New Zealand may fall behind. While the volumes of SAF we are buying are very small compared to the amount of fossil jet fuel we use, they give an important signal to alternative fuel producers that we are open for business.

“We’ve seen increased international momentum around SAF in the past few months, with airlines, governments, airports and fuel companies all getting on board with alternative fuels at pace.

“From 2026, our aircraft will be required to uplift SAF when we fly home from Singapore and Vancouver. Japan has announced a SAF requirement from 2030 and other countries are also making signals that SAF will be mandated for all airlines for outbound flights including in Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China.”

EcoCeres, a business unit of energy supplier Hong Kong and China Gas, operates a waste oil plant in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province in China, producing 100,000 tonnes of SAF per year and 200,000 tonnes per year of renewable diesel. The company says it is the world’s first ISCC-CORSIA Plus approved SAF processing facility. It is now planning a second plant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, that would produce around 350,000 tonnes a year of low carbon transportation fuel.

Following a $400 million strategic investment made in EcoCeres by Bain Capital in 2023, the fast-expanding company earlier this year appointed former Neste CEO Matti Lievonen as its Executive Chairman. He has been joined by another former Neste executive, Phil Moore, who has taken up the position of Global Head of Sustainable Aviation Fuels.

Meanwhile, Korean Air is expanding its cargo SAF programme through a new partnership with global logistics company CEVA.

The logistics group will support Korean Air’s use of SAF for cargo operations, and the airline will reciprocate by sharing carbon emissions reductions with CEVA.

“One of CEVA’s key short-term levers to promote decarbonisation hinges on collaboration,” said Olivier Boccara, CEVA’s Air and Ocean Leader, APAC. “Through developing new solutions for our customers with airline partners like Korean Air we are able to contribute to meaningful change in our industry.

“Extending our SAF offering into the Asian market is a tangible step we can take now as we look ahead to more advances in fuels and other technologies to decarbonise air freight and the global supply chain.”

Photo: Emirates aircraft refuelled with Neste SAF at Singapore Changi Airport

Tony Harrington

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The results of a European study into the impact of a widebody jet flown with 100% sustainable aviation fuel show a substantial 56% reduction in the number of contrail ice crystals produced by unblended SAF compared to Jet A-1 fuel. The project, involving Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and SAF producer Neste, was the third stage of the Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels (ECLIF) programme, with in-flight and ground emissions tests taking place in 2021. They worked together to quantify the reduction in engine soot particles produced by a Rolls-Royce powered Airbus A350 fuelled by Neste and trailed by a DLR research aircraft. In certain weather conditions, airborne vapour freezes around soot particles emitted by aircraft engines, creating cloudy canopies of ice crystals which can trap heat in the atmosphere.

Prior to the A350 test flights using 100% SAF – a campaign designated as ECLIF3 – airborne research was conducted in 2015 (ECLIF1) to characterise the emissions of synthetic fuels, followed in 2018 by flight tests with NASA (ECLIF2) to demonstrate that 50/50 blends of conventional jet fuel and SAF could reduce the climate damage caused by aircraft condensation trails.  

The ECLIF3 tests were conducted over the Mediterranean and southern France using the first Airbus A350 aircraft built by the airframer and powered by two Rolls-Royce XWB-84 engines. Conventional Jet A-1 was used as the reference fuel, while the comparative SAF was a mix of hydro-processed esters and fatty acids and synthetic paraffinic kerosene (HEFA-SPK).

In all conventional jet fuels, naturally-occurring aromatics serve as a vital sealant within the aircraft engine to help prevent fuel leaks. But this compound is slow-burning and emits soot particles which contribute to contrail crystals that can remain for several hours in cold, humid conditions at altitudes of eight to 12 kilometres, and can have a local warming or cooling impact depending on the position of the sun and underlying surface, with a warming effect predominating globally. Many types of SAF are free of aromatic compounds.

During the ECLIF3 programme, which involved multiple flights, the A350 testbed departed Toulouse Blagnac airport in France while DLR’s research jet, a Falcon 20-E, flew from the agency’s base in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, meeting at multiple points over the Mediterranean and southern France. The research aircraft was equipped with instruments to assess exhaust gases, volatile and non-volatile aerosol particles, and contrail ice particles produced by the A350, which it followed at various distances to capture data on emissions and condensation trails produced by both conventional Jet A-1 and Neste’s SAF.  

DLR used global climate model simulations to estimate how contrails could change the energy balance in the earth’s atmosphere, an effect known as radiative forcing. The tests revealed a 26% reduction in the overall climate impact of contrails when 100% SAF was used.

“The results from the ECLIF3 flight experiments show how the use of 100% SAF can help us to significantly reduce the climate-warming effect of contrails, in addition to lowering the carbon footprint of flying – a clear sign of the effectiveness of SAF towards climate-compatible aviation,” explained Markus Fischer, DLR Divisional Board Member for Aeronautics.

“We already knew that sustainable aviation fuels could reduce the carbon footprint of aviation,” added Mark Bentall, head of Research and Technology Programme, Airbus. “Thanks to the ECLIF studies, we now know that SAF can also reduce soot emissions and ice particulate formation that we see as contrails. This is a very encouraging result, based on science, which shows just how crucial sustainable aviation fuels are for decarbonising air transport.”

Alexander Kueper, Neste’s VP, Renewable Aviation Business, said SAF was recognised widely as a crucial means of mitigating the climate impacts of aviation. “The results from the ECLIF3 study confirm a significantly lower climate impact when using 100% SAF due to the lack of aromatics in Neste’s SAF used, and provide additional scientific data to support the use of SAF at higher concentrations than the currently approved 50%.”

And Rolls-Royce’s Director of Research and Technology, Alan Newby, said the use of SAF at higher blend ratios would be a key factor in enabling aviation to achieve its target of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. “Not only did these tests show that our Trent XWB-84 engine can run on 100% SAF,” he said. “The results also show how additional value can be unlocked from SAF through reducing non-CO2 climate effects as well.”

The ECLIF3 research team says its programme is “the first in-situ evidence of the climate impact mitigation potential of using pure, 100% SAF on a commercial aircraft,” and has reported the findings of its tests in the Copernicus journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP) as part of a peer-reviewed scientific process. The ECLIF3 programme also includes members of the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Manchester.

Last year, Boeing, NASA and United Airlines conducted contrail research in the US using a Boeing 737 MAX twinjet with one engine powered by 100% SAF and the other by conventional jet fuel, and Virgin Atlantic partnered with Rolls Royce, Boeing, Air BP and Virent to perform a trans-Atlantic crossing using a Boeing 787 powered purely by SAF, with a blend of 88% recycled waste fats and oils and 12% sustainable aromatic kerosene. UK-based technology group SATAVIA also worked with 12 airlines over 65 flights to test its DECISIONX route optimisation software, which uses atmospheric modelling data to assist carriers in planning flight paths which avoid conditions in which contrails can form. The company said its tests avoided more than 2,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), or an average of more than 40 tonnes per flight, with little impact on aircraft fuel burn or flight distances.

Photo (S. Ramadier): Airbus A350 fuelled with 100% Neste SAF trailed by DLR’s Falcon 20-E research jet

Tony Harrington

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The transition of Asia-Pacific markets to sustainable aviation fuel has just been boosted in five nations, with fresh developments in Australia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. The Australian government, in its 2024 budget, has announced plans to fast-track support for a low-carbon liquid fuel sector, with a specific initial focus on SAF, while Singapore Airlines and its low-cost sibling Scoot have announced their first purchase of the fuel at Changi International Airport from the newly activated Neste Singapore refinery, currently the world’s largest single SAF production plant.  Two major collaborations have also been announced between Japanese and Malaysian partners, in which SAF produced in Malaysia will be supplied to Japan, to help meet that country’s 2030 mandate of 10% SAF usage. Another regional collaboration will see used cooking oil sourced from another Japanese company used to help produce SAF at a new refinery due to open in Thailand in the first half of 2025.

Following strong lobbying from the aviation and energy sectors, the Australian government has committed to supporting the production of low-carbon liquid fuels, including SAF, in the Net Zero strategy of the nation’s Future Made in Australia Plan.

Over the next decade, the government will invest A$1.7 billion ($1.14bn) to support the Australian Renewable Energy Agency in commercialising net zero innovations including low-carbon fuels. 

Additionally, over four years starting in 2024-25, the government will commit A$18.5 million ($12.4m) to develop a certification scheme for low-carbon fuels including SAF and renewable diesel by expanding the national Guarantee of Origin scheme, which is already being developed to track and verify emissions linked to the production in Australia of hydrogen and renewable electricity.

A further A$1.5 million ($1m) will be spent over two years to investigate costs and benefits of introducing mandates or other demand-side measures to drive up the use of low carbon liquid fuels. The government will also undertake a “targeted” consultation on production incentives to support local production of new fuels. 

“Two years ago in Australia, SAF was an acronym with barely a skerrick of interest,” said Andrew Parker, Chief Sustainability Officer of the Qantas Group, one of the strongest advocates of developing a local SAF sector and mandates to drive up demand.

“The commencement of this funding and related policy measures are significant first steps on our path to decarbonise aviation here,” said Parker. “A progressive universal SAF mandate remains the most essential policy lever we have to secure capital and technology and ensure consistency and maintain competitiveness with our major trading partners.”   

Airbus, another strong advocate of and investor in Australian SAF, welcomed the government’s initiatives. “They will help move SAF from plans today into planes tomorrow,” said Stephen Forshaw, the airframer’s chief representative in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. “The world is moving to scale up production of SAF with supply-side support by governments helping to derisk early projects. Australia’s announcements recognise this.”

At Singapore’s Changi International Airport, the first SAF produced locally by global refiner Neste will be supplied to SIA Group‘s two carriers, Singapore Airlines and its low-cost sibling Scoot.

The carriers’ parent company, Singapore Airlines Group, has agreed to buy 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF, which Neste will then blend and transfer into the airport’s fuel system, one batch in the second quarter of 2024, the other in the fourth. The SAF will be produced from recycled waste and residue raw materials.

“This supply of locally produced SAF to Changi Airport is a milestone in our journey of supporting the aviation industry and governments in the region to achieve their emissions reduction goals,” said Alexander Kueper, Neste’s VP, Renewable Aviation. “We are looking forward to expanding our cooperation with Singapore Airlines as well as supplying visiting carriers at Changi Airport.”

The airline’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Lee Wen Fen, said the deal was an important step towards a target of including 5% SAF in its total 2030 fuel use. As well, from this month, SIA will offer 1,000 SAF book-and-claim units (BCUs) for purchase by corporate travellers, shippers and freight forwarders to help compensate for their flight emissions. Each BCU will equate to 1 tonne of neat SAF and its associated carbon dioxide reduction benefit.

Three Japanese corporations have also entered new SAF deals, with two in Malaysia and one in Thailand.

Tokyo-based biotechnology company Euglena, which produces renewable fuels from used cooking oils and microalgae, has formed a new partnership with Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas to build and operate a commercial biofuels production plant in Malaysia. Euglena has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan Airport Terminal (JAT), which operates Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, to jointly develop a SAF supply chain to the airport, with the two also looking to commercialising and providing the fuel to airlines.

If the Japanese government’s mandate of 10% SAF usage by 2030 was applied to Haneda Airport’s total jet fuel consumption in 2022, the companies estimate the airport would require 220 million litres of SAF per year. Eugena and JAT claim they would be able to supply 50 million litres of SAF per year, or 23% of the total required.

Marubeni Corporation, another major Japanese industrialist, has just announced an MoU with InvestSarawak, a government agency in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, to study the feasibility of producing SAF from biomass resources in the region. No details of fuel volumes or production timeframes were disclosed.

Meanwhile, a third Japanese company, Sumitomo Corporation, has agreed to provide used cooking oil to Thailand’s Bangchak Group, which is developing a new SAF plant with capacity to produce 1 million litres of fuel per day, commencing in the second quarter of 2025. The UCO will supplement supplies collected by Bangchak through its 162 service stations in Thailand. In a separate deal, Sumitomo and Japan’s Cosmo Oil will buy SAF produced by Bangchak.

Photo: Neste’s Singapore refinery

Tony Harrington

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North America has seen new sustainable aviation fuel agreements this month announced by Boeing and Canada’s WestJet, as well as Air New Zealand for supply in Los Angeles. Boeing has signed deals with multiple SAF suppliers to source 9.4 million gallons of blended product, its biggest single annual commitment. Of this, 4 million gallons are destined for its Pacific Northwest fuel farms and another 5.4 million gallons for distribution through book-and-claim programmes. In Canada, Calgary-based WestJet has bought the first SAF supplied in the country through Shell Aviation’s Avelia book-and-claim system. And in Los Angeles, Air New Zealand is taking delivery this year of 9 million litres (2.4 million gallons) of neat SAF produced in Singapore by renewable energy group Neste. Additionally, Boeing has just partnered with Australia’s Wagner Sustainable Fuels in developing a SAF blending facility in the state of Queensland.   

Boeing’s latest commitment, 60% greater than its SAF acquisitions in 2023, will be used in the company’s ecoDemonstrator programme, through which technologies and practices designed to increase aircraft efficiency and reduce their emissions are assessed using the company’s fleet of testbed aircraft. The blended supplies, all of which will include 30% SAF developed with waste fats, oils and greases, will also be used on Boeing’s commercial operational flights in the US.

The 4 million gallons of blended SAF destined for Boeing’s fuel farms will be produced by renewable energy group Neste and supplied by two US-based independent suppliers – 2.5 million gallons from EPIC Fuels, which operates major facilities in Oregon and Texas, and 1.5 million gallons from Avfuel, based in Michigan.

The additional 5.4 million gallons of blended SAF will also be provided in two batches, with 3.5 million gallons of Neste-made SAF to be supplied by EPIC Fuels, and 1.9 million gallons produced by World Fuel Services and supplied by World Energy. Through a book-and-claim process, Boeing will purchase the CO2 emissions reductions associated with these deals.

As well as driving up demand for SAF, book-and-claim systems authenticate the environmental attributes and ensure that these are allocated to buyers of the fuel as offset credits towards their net zero carbon emission targets.

 “About 20% of our fuel usage is a SAF blend,” said Ryan Faucett, Boeing’s VP Environmental Sustainability. “We continue to increase our use of this fuel to encourage growth in the SAF industry. We are also working to make SAF more available and affordable to our commercial airline customers through collaboration, investment, research and policy development.”

In Canada, WestJet said it had acquired the first SAF to be supplied in the country by Shell Aviation via its Avelia book-and-claim platform, though neither the volume nor timeframe of the fuel deal were disclosed in the airline’s announcement. Avelia uses blockchain technology to confirm transparent tracking of the environmental attributes of SAF, from production to delivery into aviation fuelling networks.

“WestJet is committed to enhancing our position as a first mover in sustainability technologies,” said Angela Avery, the airline group’s EVP and Chief People, Corporate and Sustainability Officer. “Just as we pioneered advancements in winglets and drag reduction, WestJet proudly stands as the first airline to acquire SAF by Shell in Canada. This first step sets the stage for future collaboration and innovation to encourage investments in this important lever for decarbonisation.”

The airline also added to the industry’s growing global pressure for support of SAF, saying it continued to work with government and industry partners to establish a sustainable, long-term commercial framework for the fuel which, “with the right regulatory and investment environment”, was one of aviation’s more viable and scalable decarbonisation pathways.

Christine Bassitt, Shell Aviation’s GM Americas, welcomed the WestJet deal, which not only supported decarbonisation of air transport, but simultaneously expanded the SAF supply chain in Canada to enable greater access to the fuel. 

Air New Zealand’s latest SAF deal was signed in Singapore during a New Zealand government-sponsored business delegation to South-East Asia, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, a former CEO of the airline. The fuel will be produced by Neste at its recently expanded Singapore refinery, with the first supplies already being delivered to Los Angeles International Airport, from which the airline flies daily. The total order will be fulfilled by 30 November.

This is the biggest purchase of SAF from Neste by any airline based outside North America and Europe for delivery before the end of 2024, and nine times Air New Zealand’s first SAF acquisition from Neste in 2022. The airline’s total global SAF uptake between April and the end of November is expected to be 850 million litres (225 million gallons), as part of a broader decarbonisation programme that includes the introduction of electric aircraft.

Having committed last year to acquire up to 23 all-electric ALIA aircraft from Beta Technologies, the airline has now announced Wellington-Marlborough as the first route for all-cargo flights, to operate in partnership with NZ Post.  Serving as a commercial demonstrator for zero emission operations, the first aircraft will be based in Wellington, the national capital, at the base of New Zealand’s North Island, while Marlborough Airport in Blenheim, at the top of the South Island, will install charging infrastructure for the plane’s return journey across the Cook Strait.

Kiri Hannifin, Air New Zealand’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said the demonstrator aircraft would be used to gradually prepare the national aviation system for lower emission aircraft ahead of 2030, when the airline plans to phase out its fleet of 23 Q300 turboprops, or potentially convert them to new zero-emission propulsion systems.  

“Decarbonising aviation is of global importance, and in New Zealand maintaining regional connectivity through this transition is of national importance,” said Dean Heiford, CEO of Marlborough Airport. “This is a big step for us on our own sustainability journey that we wouldn’t have been able to achieve without partnership. We’re looking forward to sharing our learnings with other regional airports across New Zealand.”

In neighbouring Australia, Boeing has bolstered its latest commitment to SAF by partnering with Wagner Sustainable Fuels, which has commenced the design and construction of a SAF blending facility in the state of Queensland.

Ther new facility, which is due to open later this year, is located at Wagner’s Wellcamp Airport in the regional city of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, which accommodates flights ranging from turboprop and narrowbody passenger jets to Boeing 747 freight services by Cathay Pacific, which regularly flies fresh produce from the region to Asia and beyond.

“Wagner’s sustainability goals align with Boeing’s work to advance aviation decarbonisation and energy security through renewable energy including SAF, advanced technologies, operational efficiency and fleet renewal,” said Kim Camrass, sustainability lead for Boeing in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific.

“We’re proud to contribute to the building blocks of a sovereign SAF production industry with this Australian first facility,” said Matt Doyle, CEO of Wagner Sustainable Fuels, “and anticipate by the end of 2024 this facility will mark the start of the supply of SAF in Australia on a consistent basis.

“In collaboration with Boeing, the Wellcamp blending facility will demonstrate the greenhouse gas emissions reduction benefits of SAF for our customers, provide a focus for federal and state policy makers, and introduce the supply chain to this potential AUD3 billion ($2bn) per year industry.”

Photo: Boeing ecoDemonstrator aircraft refuelled with blended SAF

Tony Harrington

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Carriers meeting at the annual Airlines for Europe (A4E) Summit in Brussels called on policymakers to “supercharge” the production of sustainable aviation fuels across Europe through the introduction of competitive tax credits and the funding and support for nascent, emerging and established SAF projects or fuel producers. It is crucial that Europe supports affordable and reliable domestic production, they said in a “call to action”, particularly in the face of significant market pressure from global players outside of Europe. Meanwhile, A4E member Lufthansa Group has reported more than one million passengers have opted for its Green Fares tickets, which includes a provision for SAF offsetting, one year after their launch. European renewable fuels producer Neste has started supplies of blended SAF at Schiphol under an agreement with Emirates, while Sasol and Topsoe have launched their new joint venture Zaffra, located in Amsterdam, that will focus on SAF development and delivery.

At the forefront of A4E’s “call to action” is what it describes as “competitive decarbonisation” in a global market, to ensure Europe is a world leader in aviation’s net zero transformation.

“The next few years provide a real opportunity for change and we are setting out how we want to future-proof flying,” said A4E Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou at the opening to the trade body’s Summit in Brussels. “We are today making a pledge to improve the future of flying but can only do this if policymakers make the vital changes to support our decarbonisation efforts, providing real airspace reform, ensuring our sector remains competitive and completing a true single aviation market.”

A4E member airlines have been involved in a number of SAF commitments this month. International Airlines Group (IAG), made up of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and other carriers, signed a 14-year agreement with US startup Twelve for the supply of 785,000 tonnes of e-SAF, the groups biggest single SAF deal to date and the first e-SAF procurement by a European airline group (see article).

Following its purchase of 500 tonnes of SAF from Austrian energy company OMV last year, Ryanair reported it would take an additional 500 tonnes in 2024. Under an MoU between the two companies, Ryanair has access to purchase up to 160,000 tonnes of SAF during the period to 2030.

Another A4E member, AEGEAN, which first flew with SAF in 2021, is to expand its use of SAF under an agreement with Shell and MOH Aviation, who will supply a “significant” quantity of blended SAF at Stockholm Arlanda and London Heathrow airports. The Greek carrier said this marked the beginning of a gradual expansion of its SAF uplift programme, “where available”, throughout its entire network.

According to Lufthansa Group, an average of 3% of passengers have used its Green Fares tickets, with the tickets being selected by 11% of business class travellers via the Lufthansa Group portals. In total, travellers have offset around 77,000 tonnes of CO2. Offsetting of flight CO2 emissions is through SAF as well as by a contribution to high-quality climate protection projects. The group ensures the amount of SAF required for offsetting is fed into the airport infrastructure within six months of purchase.

Green Fares are available with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Edelweiss, Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti on more than 730,000 flights per year within Europe and to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The group has been testing Green Fares on selected long-haul routes since November 2023.

Meanwhile, Finland-headquartered Neste has launched Neste Impact for businesses looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their air travel and transport activities. The solution is aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), enabling businesses to credibly report achieved emission savings and follows a book-and-claim approach. The related emission reduction achieved is third-party verified and further validated through the ISCC SAFc registry. Neste ensures the SAF is supplied to a partner airline and the purchased amount is verifiably used to replace fossil fuel.

UAE carrier Emirates has activated its fuel agreement with Neste at Amsterdam Schiphol and 2 million gallons of blended SAF will be supplied into the airport’s fuelling system over the course of 2024. The blended SAF will comprise over 700,000 gallons of neat SAF. The airline will track the delivery of SAF into the fuelling system and the environmental benefits using standard industry accounting methodologies.

Global chemicals and energy company Sasol and Danish carbon emission reduction technology specialist Topsoe have launched their joint venture, named Zaffra, which will be based in Amsterdam. The partners say the new company, to be headed by former Shell Aviation boss Jan Toschka, aims to advance SAF production and technologies.

Photo © Lufthansa Group

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Coinciding with the start of the 2024 Singapore Airshow, the Singapore government has announced a 1% blending target for sustainable aviation fuel with effect from 2026, rising to 3-5% by 2030, and partly funded by a levy on air fares, making the country the first to ensure departing passengers pay towards helping the transition to lower carbon jet fuel. It has also announced a range of air traffic management initiatives in partnership with other Asia-Pacific nations and pledged increased clean energy production and deployment at its two airports, Changi and Selatar. The measures are contained in the Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint, a strategy document developed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) as the ‘State action plan for the decarbonisation of its aviation sector and sustainable aviation growth’, positioning the island state as a regional driver of cleaner air transport. But the blueprint also makes clear that environmental sustainability must be balanced with the nation’s need to remain a competitive aviation hub.

Singapore’s gentle switch to SAF is a key element of the Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint and reaffirms a gradual but increasing focus by Asia-Pacific nations on more sustainable air transport. It also aligns with the 2030 SAF target of 5% agreed late last year by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), a collective of 15 carriers including Singapore Airlines.   

“To kickstart SAF adoption in Singapore, flights departing Singapore will be required to use SAF from 2026,” says the report.  “We will aim for a 1% SAF target for a start to encourage investment in SAF production and develop an ecosystem for more resilient and affordable supply. Our goal is to raise the SAF target beyond 1% in 2026 to 3-5% by 2030, subject to global developments and the wider availability and adoption of SAF.”

Acknowledging that global SAF supplies are currently less than 1% of global jet fuel demand, the report says capacity will need to increase exponentially to meet projected demand in 2050, adding: “It is critical that we provide fuel producers with a demand signal to give them the confidence to make further investments in SAF production, and accelerate global SAF production.”

CAAS will introduce an airline passenger levy in 2026 for the purchase of SAF to help achieve usage targets, with price to be based on flight length and class of travel, explaining: “As market for the supply of SAF is still nascent and the price of SAF can be volatile, this approach will provide cost certainty to airlines and travellers.”

It suggests economy class passengers could pay a levy of 3 Singapore dollars (US$2.20) for a short-haul flight, 6 Singapore dollars (US$4.40) for a medium-haul flight and 16 Singapore dollars (US$12) for a long-haul flight.

However, the report also specifies: “Environmental sustainability needs to be balanced with the Singapore air hub’s competitiveness to support the growth of the aviation industry in the upcoming decades. The blueprint demonstrates this resolve and sets out Singapore’s medium-term and long-term targets.”  

It reveals procurement of Singapore’s SAF will be centralised, using the air ticket levies “to aggregate demand and reap economies of scale”, and says businesses and organisations will be invited to purchase the low-or-no carbon fuel through this mechanism to help offset “in a credible and cost-effective manner” the travel carbon emissions generated.

The report acknowledges the activation last year by global renewable fuels company Neste of a refurbished refinery in Singapore’s Tuas industrial zone with capacity to produce up to 1 million tonnes of SAF per year, a tenfold increase, making it the largest SAF production plant currently in operation, but added that more of the fuel was needed.

Currently, most of the SAF provided at the plant is exported to other higher-demand markets, due to lower demand from airlines and lack of SAF blending and use mandates across the Asia-Pacific region.

“The presence of an existing petrochemical sector in Singapore provides a good base for new SAF facilities in Singapore,” says the aviation blueprint. “Nonetheless, given the tremendous increase in SAF production capacity required globally, there is scope for more SAF production to be based in Singapore, which will also support the needs of Changi Airport.”

The report advocates greater SAF production across the Southeast Asia region, and potentially more broadly across Asia and the Pacific, but acknowledges shortages of fuel feedstocks and competing demand from sectors such as shipping, road transport and energy act as a constraint on SAF availability.

“There is a need to widen feedstock availability across different regions to unlock more SAF production globally,” says CAAS. “To do this, there should be consistent rules for acceptability and sustainability requirements for feedstock.

“Singapore promotes the recognition of CORSIA’s sustainability criteria as the accepted basis for the eligibility of SAF. We encourage the industry to adopt a feedstock-neutral approach and not exclude any particular feedstock, as long as it meets the CORSIA sustainability criteria and delivers the required carbon emissions reduction.”

To this end, CAAS has joined in a regional study led by Boeing and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials to develop a SAF roadmap to identify the availability and sustainability of fuel feedstocks in Southeast Asia, ascertain feasible production pathways and identify potential pilot projects to drive regional SAF development.

Beyond progressing SAF, the blueprint also highlights air traffic management initiatives designed to help increase air transport efficiency while reducing emissions during the next five years, including greater coordination of flights between airspace navigation service providers and techniques to optimise flight paths and trajectories.

The report also specifies a range of initiatives to reduce emissions on the ground including increased generation and use of solar power at Changi and Selatar airports, and transition to clean energy propulsion for all airport vehicles by 2040, commencing with introduction of electric-powered light vehicles including cars, vans, minibuses and some forklifts and tractors from 2025.

Photo: Singapore Airlines

Tony Harrington

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In what ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano described as the UN civil aviation agency’s most important event of the year, countries are convening this week in Dubai to agree a global framework on a cleaner energy future for aviation. The purpose of the Conference on Aviation Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) is to steer policy direction and financing to aid the rapid shift towards new forms of sustainable energy, in particular sustainable aviation fuels, to meet ICAO’s Long Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of net zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050. Sciacchitano said it would be a massive task that required immediate collective action. SAF production remains largely confined to Europe and the USA but the collective global target will require huge support and investment for energy transition in the developing world. The week-long meeting has been marked with an Emirates A380 demonstration flight with one engine powered by 100% SAF.

“We must urgently scale up the development and deployment of sustainable, lower carbon and other clean energy aviation fuels in order to meet the sustainability expectations of both the world and the stakeholders,” said Sciacchitano in his opening address at CAAF/3. “We have a massive task ahead of us this week as we deliberate on the ICAO Global Framework for aviation’s cleaner energy transition, a key step for the sustainable development of air transport. ICAO’s main priority is the implementation and achievement of LTAG. To do this, we need to take collective action now and CAAF/3 can be instrumental in laying the building blocks in terms of policy and planning, regulatory framework adjustments, implementation support and financing.

“This is also an opportunity for States to demonstrate strong leadership in addressing international aviation emissions just before the UN’s COP28 climate change conference also taking place here in the UAE. A successful, robust and ambitious global framework can only serve to shine a bright spotlight on the shared efforts and commitment to decarbonising our sector. We have a great opportunity to show and communicate to the world that aviation is seriously and strongly committed to decarbonise by 2050.”

In a video address, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said aviation was one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, “but with innovation and investment, it can be done.”

He added: “A net-zero aviation sector means cleaner energy sources on a global scale. It means economic policies and regulations that can support a just and equitable transition while attracting investors, and it means measures such as carbon pricing, low-carbon fuel standards and subsidies for sustainable aviation fuels. The global framework emerging from this conference is a critical step towards a clean and prosperous future for this vital sector. By moving at jet speed you can speed up the clean energy revolution our world needs.

“With the upcoming COP28, now is the time to turn ambition into concrete action to find ways to deliver on your net zero target and shape a better, cleaner future for all.”

CAAF meetings take place only on a six-year basis, the first held in Brazil in 2009, and CAAF/3 is the culmination of a series of stocktaking and pre-CAAF/3 conferences and consultations to prepare the ground for a ‘2050 ICAO Vision’ for SAF, lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) and other aviation cleaner energy sources in order to define a global framework in line with ICAO’s ‘No Country Left Behind’ initiative that takes into account national circumstances and capabilities. SAF, LCAF and other aviation cleaner energies are expected to make the largest contribution towards achieving the LTAG.

The 2050 Vision acknowledges that no single fuel source will be produced at a level necessary to achieve the LTAG and so the framework needs to be flexible and not exclude any particular fuel source, pathway, feedstock or technology that meets the CORSIA eligible fuels criteria, says ICAO.

Since earlier this year, a Small Group for Preparations for CAAF/3, under the Climate and Environment Committee (CEC) of ICAO’s governing Council, has been considering possible CAAF/3 outcomes, including a draft global framework. The framework is built across four interconnected building blocks that need to advance and work together: policy and planning; regulatory frameworks; implementation support; and financing.

Although there has been general convergence on the Vision, some differences remain around aviation cleaner energies and financing, which will be discussed during the conference.

A number of States want to see CAAF/3 emerge with a quantified goal in order to send a political signal of support for sustainable fuels that could unlock private sector investment around the world.

“The reason why investors need this outcome is that it is crucial to assuring the durability of their investments,” US government representative Annie Petsonk said during an opening panel session. “If they are going to make the major investments that allow SAF to be produced in refineries and to develop the required feedstocks and supply chains, they want to see governments are serious about this transition. Through informal consultations I have had already, I am very hopeful that I will be able to communicate a positive outcome to them.”

The US is also supporting the creation of the ICAO Finvest Hub, which aims to act as a facilitating platform to connect projects contributing to the decarbonisation of international aviation, including feedstock and SAF production, with potential public and private investors. A priority of the initiative would be to support developing countries and those with special needs in financing aviation decarbonisation projects. It would also offer technical assistance, capacity building and guidance on the development of legal and policy frameworks.

Industry is also represented at CAAF/3 and has a similar wish list. “There are two key outcomes we would like to see from the conference: a goal for SAF deployment that can provide investment certainty to the finance markets and influence policy actions around the world, and a supportive global framework that will ensure countries everywhere can take advantage of the opportunities to build new energy industries and secure jobs in supplying SAF,” said Haldane Dodd, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).

ATAG says the transition to SAF is already underway, with policy measures being implemented or discussed in around 40 countries, with $45 billion in forward SAF purchase agreements in place with airlines, operators and corporate partners. Ten facilities are currently producing SAF, it says, but by 2029 over 150 projects in 35 countries are being explored that could be used for SAF production.

“The SAF scale-up has begun,” said Dodd. “Over 10 times more SAF was delivered to airlines in 2022 than in 2019. That pace of development will continue but needs to accelerate significantly to keep in line with the industry’s path to net zero.

“Three things are needed to make the aviation energy transition happen: government policy to support supply and create certainty for demand; financing of the potentially $1.5 trillion in infrastructure capital needed to supply SAF at the scale required; and a serious effort by the traditional energy sector to shift their products from fossil to sustainable fuels. We believe the CAAF/3 meeting can set the scene for these developments and help catalyse the transition in aviation. These are tough decisions and complex challenges, but necessary ones to progress as climate change makes its impacts felt.

“A global framework from CAAF/3 will help capacity building and access to finance so that countries everywhere can build SAF industries of their own. Enormous value can be created in diversifying and democratising energy supply if governments grasp the opportunities ahead of them.”

Added Laurent Donceel, Deputy Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E): “The future of aviation depends on sustainable aviation fuels and it is critical the CAAF/3 meeting produces a global agreement for a net-zero aviation with realistic targets to promote the use of SAF. Global investments in SAF and boosting the energy transition in aviation will create a bounty of jobs and growth around the world.

“Europe and the USA are accelerating down the runway towards a more sustainable future so it’s critically important that the rest of the world keeps up and delivers a truly net zero aviation industry. CAAF/3 is an ideal opportunity to set this in stone.”

Environmental NGOs belonging to the International Coalition on Sustainable Aviation have called on the meeting “to adopt a global aspirational quantified objective for 2050 and an aspirational trajectory that are consistent with the Paris Agreement temperature goals, and that prioritise the environmental and social integrity of alternative fuels.”

Setting the goal, they say, requires adopting, primarily, a metric that focuses on the carbon intensity of alternative fuels on a lifecycle basis, consistent with CORSIA eligible fuels methodology.

“A successful outcome requires focusing on defining an ambitious vision that prioritises the environmental and social integrity of alternative fuels and therefore avoids trading an environmental threat for another,” said a statement presented at CAAF/3. “The focus should always be on quality rather than quantity.”

In addition to a robust sustainability standard, said the NGOs, CAAF/3 should emphasise transparency to ensure alternative fuels are accurately reported and accounted for, with the avoidance of double counting critical for integrity.

The statement notes that whereas the CAAF/2 vision focused solely on sustainable aviation fuels, the scope for CAAF/3 has been expanded to cover not only other cleaner energy sources such as cryogenic hydrogen and electricity, but also lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) of fossil origin.

“ICSA believes that while LCAF may have potentially lower carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis, all fuels of fossil origin must, by definition, be regarded as unsustainable. The CAAF/3 Vision should avoid the use of encompassing terms such as ‘sustainable fuels’ and instead use suitable terms such as ‘alternative fuels’.

To coincide with CAAF/3, Emirates this week has become the first airline to operate an A380 demonstration flight using 100% SAF. In a collaboration with Airbus, Engine Alliance, Pratt & Whitney, ENOC, Neste and Virent, the Emirates aircraft took off from Dubai International Airport with one of its four engines powered on 100% SAF. The flight carried four tonnes of SAF, comprised of HEFA-SPK provided by Neste and HDO-SAK (hydro deoxygenated synthetic aromatic kerosene) from Virent. ENOC helped to secure the neat SAF comprised of HEFA-SPK and blended it with SAK at its facility in the airport.

The 100% SAF was used in one Engine Alliance GP7200 engine, while conventional jet fuel was used in the other three engines. The PW980 auxiliary power unit from Pratt & Whitney Canada also ran on 100% SAF. The flight on November 22 was preceded by robust engine testing, with the objective of validating the engine’s capability to run on the specially blended 100% drop-in SAF without affecting its performance or requiring modifications. Ground engine testing took place at the Emirates Engineering Centre in Dubai.

Earlier this year, Emirates completed the first 100% SAF-powered demonstration flight in the region on a GE90-powered Boeing 777-300ER. Shell has supplied Emirates with 315,000 gallons of blended SAF for use at Dubai and the airline currently uplifts SAF in Norway and France. Emirates recently expanded its partnership with Neste for the supply of over 3 million gallons of blended SAF in 2024 and 2025 for flights departing from Amsterdam Schiphol and Singapore Changi airports.

“The growing global demand for lower-emission jet fuel alternatives is there, and the work of producers and suppliers to commercialise SAF and make it available will be critical in the coming years to help Emirates and the wider industry advance our path to lower carbon emissions,” commented Adel Al Redha, COO, Emirates Airline.

Videos of the CAAF/3 proceedings are available on ICAO TV

Top photo: ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano addresses CAAF/3

Emirates A380 100% SAF demonstration flight:

Christopher Surgenor

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