The advent of single-engine turbine aircraft flown by small businesses and private owners drives the demand for more SAF.
In 2022, when lawmakers in the U.S. enacted the Inflation Reduction Act, the legislation made significant provisions towards boosting the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The U.S. is doing this as part of a government-led mandate, the SAF Grand Challenge, to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by about 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The SAF Grand Challenge, set by the incumbent administration, is designed to ramp up the domestic annual production of SAF to 3 billion gallons by 2030 and would support a long-term global initiative to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. It’s similar to the aviation industry’s position. Last fall, when the International Civil Aviation Organization 41st International Assembly convened in Montreal, Canada, the agency and its members— more than 2,500 delegates from 184 states and 57 organizations present—adopted the collective long- term aspirational goal of net-zero carbon emissions for the industry by 2050. The agency noted that to achieve that goal, its member countries would need to rely on a series of combined measures, including investing in new technologies, improving flight operations,
and increasing the production and distribution of sustainable aviation fuel. So, the big push for SAF—compared to other emissions reduction measures—represents a deliberate industry-wide position and is captured in an October 2021 study by the International Air Transport Association that says to get to net zero, SAF would be needed as a way to cut up to 65 percent of emissions. IATA estimated that other measures, like electric and hydrogen solutions, would only contribute 13 percent to the desired overall reduction. This logic is explained simply by the fact that— while SAF is in short supply—operators who wish to use it don’t have to make modifications to their aircraft’s fuel and powerplant systems to utilize it, compared to the leaps in technology and regulatory hurdles required for implementing other solutions. That isn’t to say the other options aren’t viable and haven’t demonstrated tangible progress. Indeed, a proliferation of next-generation energy companies is getting closer to making the all-electric, hydrogen, and hybrid options realities soon. But, until they come to market, SAF provides a far more immediate solution.
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