How sustainable aviation fuel could power the future of flying

Aviation is responsible for almost three per cent of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. Current projections estimate that demand for individual air passenger journeys in 2050 could exceed 10 billion.

IATA member airlines and the wider aviation industry are collectively committed to ambitious emissions reduction goals. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has been identified as one of the key elements in helping achieve these goals.

Over 370,000 flights have taken to the skies using SAF since 2016. 100 million litres of SAF was produced in 2021. SAF can reduce emissions by up to 80 per cent during its full lifecycle. Around 14 billion litres of SAF are in forward purchase agreements. More than 45 airlines now have experience with SAF.

Airbus has been the most progressive and aggressive, clearly signalling a desire to speed up moves to low or zero-emission aircraft, while Boeing has committed to its 2030 target for using 100 per cent SAF on all its commercial aircraft.

With their existing positions on the A320 and 737, CFM and P&W appear well-placed, while Rolls Royce is relying on its UltraFan to force its way into the reckoning. SAF is made from waste and agricultural by-products or power-to-liquid based on hydrogen technology can be 100 per cent less carbon-intensive than traditional jet fuel over its lifecycle. Early adoption of SAF can provide environmental and economic benefits at 10 times higher than initial costs.

As a starting point of 10 per cent SAF blend, India can achieve cleaner skies with less-open air crop burning, create 1,20, 000 new jobs and catalyze efficient waste management systems that will have significant societal benefits. It would also represent a leap towards self-reliance that would add $2.7 to 2.8 billion to India's GDP by 2030.

Hydrogen has also featured in a number of emissions reduction pledges at the UN Climate Conference, COP26, as a means to decarbonize heavy industry, long haul freight, shipping, and aviation. As with SAF, a major challenge with hydrogen lies in its supply, both in terms of production and delivery to airports for fuelling. To be truly 'green,' hydrogen should be derived from renewable energy sources. But nearly all the hydrogen produced today is considered 'brown,' as it is produced from fossil fuel sources. If you were to use 90 per cent of today's global hydrogen production, you would only have enough to power about 10 per cent of the commercial aircraft fleet. Green hydrogen is defined as hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity.

The United Arab Emirates is also raising ambition, with the country's new hydrogen strategy aiming to hold a fourth of the global low-carbon hydrogen market by 2030 and Japan recently announced it will invest $3.4 billion from its green innovation fund to accelerate research and development and promotion of hydrogen use over the next 10 years.