Are Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) adding any real value to the aviation industry? Will they ever?
Why is this important: No doubt there have been impressive technological developments for sustainable aviation fuels. However, we must ask the all-important question: What value is being added to the aviation industry currently due to SAFs? Here’s another question: Are there any positive impacts on the environment? To answer these questions it might require a more thorough analysis in a full article.
Continue reading to learn more about the latest on sustainable aviation fuels.
Get Involved: Do you believe that SAF will be a net benefit for the aviation industry? If yes, why? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sustainable aviation fuel: When sky is the limit for sustainability
Last week was a milestone in the field of aviation, when the world’s first transatlantic flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) took off from London Heathrow and landed in New York JFK.
Called Flight100, this Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 demonstrated the potential of using SAF on long-haul flights, replacing jet fuel and playing a major role in decarbonising the aviation industry. It was a result of more than a year of collaboration between a Virgin Atlantic-led consortium that includes the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, BP and others, and was partly funded by the UK’s Department of Transport.
By Vikram Chaudhary | Financial Express
Net Zero by 2050: Is SAF the aviation industry’s best shot?
The list of challenges facing air travel is not a short one, and some frequent flyers would not hesitate to make that known. Yet, these challenges are not exclusively on the side of the consumers. The world’s airline companies (over 5,000 in number) face a lengthy list of their own.
One of the most prominent issues has been regaining the pre-pandemic air traffic the industry experienced in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic ensured that corporate travel would be slow to recover, but recently, leisure flights have increased, furthering the aviation sector’s ever-growing emissions problem.
In fact, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report from 2021, 10% of transportation emissions in the U.S. come from large business jets and commercial airplanes. Additionally, global aviation produced almost 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions in 2018. While that may seem relatively low, if the aviation industry were a country, it would be the sixth-largest nation in terms of greenhouse-gas-emissions standings.
By Ryan Sierocki | The Star Press
What is sustainable aviation fuel? Virgin Atlantic’s first ‘SAF’ transatlantic flight lands in US
It is responsible for just over a fifth — 22 per cent — of the UK’s total transport-related greenhouse-gas emissions and roughly 7 per cent of its overall output, according to Government statistics. Even one flight is enough to do some damage, with a single round trip between London and San Francisco capable of producing nearly 1 tonne of CO2. However, some aviation industry experts believe that a relative newcomer to the fuel industry, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), could help to prevent the environmental impact of long-distance jaunts. Yet others are not completely convinced by the technology.
By William McCurdy | Evening Standard
Sustainable aviation cannot take off without eco-pragmatism
In the global search for greener pastures, regulators worldwide are grappling with the challenge of making aviation fuels more sustainable. The European Union has taken a leading role and introduced legislation known as ReFuelEU, which mandates a gradual increase in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs). The journey towards sustainable aviation faces obstacles, notably the current cost of SAFs, which remains more than twice the amount of traditional kerosene. However, price is not the only barrier to making our airplanes greener.
In a recent development, the Department for Transport has committed to introducing a revenue certainty mechanism to support SAF production and boost its uptake. This initiative aims to provide producers with greater assurance about earnings from the SAF they produce. The UK’s SAF program, already one of the most comprehensive globally, is set to benefit from this scheme, coupled with the introduction of a SAF mandate in 2025.
By Frederik Roeder | CAPX
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