Sustainability continues to be an area of focus for many aviation businesses, and it served as the topic of three sessions on Wednesday at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most recognized solution, but despite recent growth in production worldwide, it still represents approximately 4% of the U.S. jet fuel demand. However, SAF availability is spreading globally.
Just a few years ago, there was SAF availability at less than a dozen FBOs, all in California. Today, it is at more than 140 locations worldwide. The market is still dominated by Generation 1 SAF, which is produced from used cooking oils, fats, and greases.
Using the HEFA process, companies such as Phillips 66—one of three major SAF producers in the U.S.—are adding hundreds of millions of gallons of blended SAF, fully mixable with conventional jet-A, into the supply.
While a regulatory framework is emerging in Europe with several countries adopting emissions trading schemes, in the U.S.—the epicenter of the business aviation industry—there is no federal regulation regarding SAF, with responsibility falling on the individual states on matters such as tax credits.
The panelists stressed that aviation companies make the decision to start on their individual sustainability journeys, even if they begin with one small step.
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