Sexy it is not, but the industry needs sustainable aviation fuel. Mark Broadbent rounds up recent developments in SAF
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are part of the commitment made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in October 2021 that the global airline industry will work to to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
IATA said in June 2022 that reaching net zero will involve creating a SAF production capacity for the sector totalling 449 billion litres per year. There is an interim target to increase output to five billion litres annually by 2025. The total global SAF production rate for airlines was 125 million litres in 2021, the agency said.
The targets mean SAF production initiatives and airline purchases have, in recent months, moved very much closer to the aerospace mainstream.
