Stakeholders invest in SAF as 2050 deadline nears

Carriers and airports are investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and infrastructure, as the industry’s deadline to become carbon neutral by 2050 draws closer. Airlines at Hong Kong (HKG), Aukland (AUK), Vienna (VIE) and Oakland (OAK) airports have increased or begun purchasing alternative fuels using waste and renewable materials to decrease carbon emissions. [caption id="attachment_57132192" align="alignright" width="369"] Photo / Andreas Jakwerth[/caption] The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates SAF will account for 65% of aviation’s carbon mitigation in 2050, but production capacity must increase exponentially to reach this point, according to a June release. Currently, around 125 million liters of SAF are produced annually, according to IATA, which calculates that production will increase to around 5 billion liters by 2025. However, carriers will need about 449 billion liters by 2050, according to the release. See also: Sustainable aviation fuel: The key to decarbonizing the airfreight industry Asia-Pacific This week, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways signed an agreement with renewable fuels company Aemetis for 38 million gallons of SAF to be delivered between 2025 and 2032, according to a Sept. 19 release from Aemetis. “Sustainable aviation fuel is an immediate solution to the decarbonization of air travel and cargo flights, without requiring extensive new fueling infrastructure or the expensive replacement of planes,” Eric McAfee, chief executive and chairman of Aemetis, said in the release. Aemetis’ fuel comes from a renewable plant in Riverbank, Calif., and uses vegetable and other renewable oils treated with hydrogen, according to the release. In Oceania, Air New Zealand will bring the first shipment of Neste’s SAF to New Zealand , fueling flights between AUK and Wellington (WLG) starting this week, according to a Sept. 15 release. Neste did not disclose which freighter or passenger aircraft will utilize the SAF. Air New Zealand purchased 1.2 million liters of SAF, capable of fueling 400 flights between the destinations. “Neste is fully committed to supporting the decarbonization of aviation,” Sami Jauhiainen, vice president of Renewable Aviation, APAC at Neste, said in the release. Neste is expanding its Singapore refinery to increase production capacity, Jauhiainen said. Once the expansion is complete next year, “we will be able to produce up to 1.5 million tons of SAF by the end of 2023, ready to support aviation globally and in the Asia-Pacific region,” he added. Europe Lufthansa Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Vienna-headquartered energy company OMV to receive 800,000 tonnes of SAF for seven years starting in 2023. The companies have previously partnered for SAF supply, but the new agreement extends location offerings for SAF production and delivery in addition to new SAF production technologies, according to a Sept. 13 release from OMV. OMV’s SAF is made from primarily used cooking oil and the company plans to scale its SAF production to 700,000 tonnes in 2030, according to the release. North America SAF came to OAK in California for the first time when Southwest Airlines began utilizing the fuel in August. With the addition of OAK, there are now three U.S. airports utilizing SAF in daily operations, according to an Aug. 30 release from OAK. Los Angeles International (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) airports also use SAF, according to their websites. Southwest’s SAF, made by Neste, is made from waste materials like cooking oil and animal fat, according to the release. Meanwhile, Delta signed an agreement with DG Fuels in August to begin a new low-emissions SAF supply stream to support the airline’s growing need for alternative fuel. “SAF is essential to our industry’s more sustainable future, and new supply chain streams will help ensure sustainable fuel becomes more available and affordable,” Pam Fletcher, Delta’s chief sustainability officer, said in an Aug. 30 release. Under the agreement, DG Fuels will provide Delta with 55 million gallons of SAF annually between 2027 and 2034. DG Fuels plans to use timber waste, corn stover and cotton gin waste for its SAF.

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