IATA urges to increase production of more sustainable aviation fuel   

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production worldwide will grow exponentially by 2030 but governments will need to play a bigger role in providing incentives for production, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

All of aviation’s SAF supply will be derived from biofuel refineries that also produce renewable biodiesel and biogas. 

“Although their refining capacity is set to grow by over 400 percent by 2025 compared to 2022, the challenge for aviation is to secure its supply of SAF from this capacity,” the airline trade body said. It called upon governments to set SAF production incentives similar to ones for biogas and biodiesel.

SAF production will hit at least 300 million litres in 2022, a 200 percent increase year-on-year, it estimated. On a more upbeat note, total production could reach 450 million litres in 2022.

Both scenarios position the SAF industry on the verge of an exponential capacity and production ramp-up toward an identified tipping point of 30 billion litres by 2030, with the right supporting policies.

Airlines are committed to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and see SAF as a key contributor. Current estimates anticipate SAF to account for 65 percent of the mitigation needed, requiring a production capacity of 450 billion litres annually in 2050.

To date, over 450,000 commercial flights have been operated using SAF.  

Source: Zawya.com