Sustainability and Environment
IATA: SAF Production Volumes Still Disappointing
Global sustainable aviation fuel production is still less than 1% of jet fuel use
SAF tanker at loading rack
Five years after IATA’s member airlines committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the organization is seeing a slow increase in the production of sustainable aviation fuel, the key lynchpin in achieving that goal. © Curt Epstein/AIN

A new report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that this year’s production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will reach 2.4 million tonnes, an amount that still represents just 0.8% of aviation fuel use.

Presently, the vast majority of SAF produced comes from used cooking oils, fats, and greases via the HEFA process, but those feedstocks are limited. Next-generation SAFs use large amounts of renewable energy to convert green hydrogen, water, and CO2 into jet fuel using a power-to-liquid process.