Sustainable Aviation Fuels: IATA Calls for Large-Scale Incentives to Rapidly Expand Production and Use
On June 21, 2022, at its 78th Annual Meeting in Doha, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for governments to urgently put in place large-scale incentives to rapidly expand the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as aviation pursues its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Significantly, in October 2021, IATA member airlines came together and committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This commitment brought the industry in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.
IATA noted that, to fulfil aviation’s net zero commitment, current estimates are for SAF to account for 65% of aviation’s carbon mitigation in 2050. That would require an annual production capacity of 449 billion liters. Investments are in place to expand SAF annual production from the current 125 million liters to 5 billion by 2025. With effective government incentives, production could reach 30 billion liters by 2030, which IATA believes would be a tipping point for SAF production and utilization.
IATA’s related briefing provides further details.
