SAF Production Key Developments

As one of the main emission mitigation measures for international aviation, the production, certification and commercial use of SAF have made significant strides in recent years.

To accelerate the transition to sustainable aviation, the European Parliament has recently adopted a bill where the percentage of SAF that must be blended with kerosene will start at 2% by 2025, moving to 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, 34% by 2040, and reaching 70% by 2050.

Many countries have already committed to introducing SAF blending mandates. In 2020, Norway was the first to introduce a 0.5% SAF blending mandate, followed by Sweden, which has increased its SAF mandate to 1.7% in 2022. Meanwhile, France introduced a 1% blending mandate for SAF in 2022.

To achieve these ambitious goals and reach a wider SAF diversification, IATA has identified three main avenues:

• Scale already certified SAF pathways (e.g. Alcohol-to-Jet, Fischer-Tropsch).

• Accelerate research and development for SAF production pathways that are currently in development.

• Scale up of feedstock/feedstock conversion technology.

While the actual SAF production grew by an impressive 300% from 100 million litres in 2021 to 300 million litres in 2022, the amount of SAF being used remains minimal. So far, around 450,000 commercial flights have been made using aircraft powered by this type of fuel.

But there is a reason for optimism. Over 130 relevant renewable fuel projects have been announced by more than 85 producers across 30 countries. With an average 3 to 5-year lag between a project announcement and its commercialisation date, the trajectory to 100 billion litres (80 million tonnes) by 2030 is on track (considering renewable energy production reaches 69 billion litres by 2028 as estimated).

Strategic collaborations are proving instrumental in pushing the envelope for SAF. Notable partnerships include KLM and SkyNRG, which are developing Europe's first dedicated SAF production plant, and British Airways' collaboration with Velocys to construct a plant in the UK that converts household waste into jet fuel.