Ready for take-off ?

By now, most regular flyers will have heard about sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). All parts of the aviation industry – airlines, aircraft manufacturers and airports – have emphasised its importance. IAG, the owner of Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia, has committed to operating 10 per cent of its flights with SAF by 2030. The recent ReFuelEU Aviation initiative from the European Union has proposed a minimum of 2 per cent of jet fuel being SAF from 2025, rising to 5 per cent in 2030. Heathrow, meanwhile, has called for the UK government to set escalating mandates that would require a minimum of 50 per cent SAF use by 2050. But what exactly is SAF, and what are the challenges in realising these aims?

WHAT IS SAF?

SAF is best understood as a collective term for many different types of fuel. It is the feedstock – what goes into the mix to create the SAF – as well as the