European aviation industry looks forward to global progress following adoption of European legislation on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

13 September 2023: European aviation industry hails the adoption of the ReFuelEU Regulation.

• Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) key to reaching net zero.
• More support is needed to secure Europe’s access to feedstock and SAF production capacity.
• November ICAO Conference on Aviation Alternative Fuels is key milestone for development of SAF worldwide.

The five leading European aviation associations representing Europe’s airlines, airports, civil aeronautics industry and air navigation service providers, which are close partners through the Destination 2050 alliance – A4E, ACI EUROPE, ASD, CANSO Europe and ERA – today welcomed the adoption of the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation and look forward to further SAF deployment globally.

The adoption marks an important and timely step necessary to realising the ambitious decarbonisation targets set out in the Destination 2050 roadmap. SAFs are a crucial component of this roadmap and today’s adoption of the ReFuelEU legislation lays the foundation for ambitious blending shares of SAF in aviation fuel.

While EU investors and industrial partners have now received a clear signal to unleash their investments, the EU shall ensure that the required uptake of SAF consumption will boost the European SAF industry. The international race to become a SAF leader has started and the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation should therefore be complemented with further incentives to scale up SAF production and uptake in Europe through their inclusion into the EU Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) as part of the strategic net-zero technologies, mirroring the US approach in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Aviation is global by nature and we need to ensure the decarbonisation of aviation is global as well. The European air transport sector strongly encourages the wider promotion of SAF around the world. The Destination 2050 partners call on States and the wider aviation industry across all world regions and at global level to join forces and rally around ambitious and credible SAF objectives – to ensure aviation globally remains on track to attain the ICAO Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of global net-zero carbon emissions for aviation by 2050.

Political support for the net-zero future of aviation is key. It requires policies and incentives that scale up the global development and production of SAF.

A robust worldwide climate policy framework for SAF is needed. The November 2023 ICAO Conference on Aviation Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) is a unique opportunity to put in place the right milestones and to deliver ambitious targets for SAF deployment worldwide.

ENDS

About Destination 2050

Europe’s aviation sector is collectively on board to lead the way in reducing aviation CO₂ emissions by 2030 and 2050 – making flying more sustainable for the long term. In February 2021, Europe’s airlines, airports, civil aeronautics industry and air navigation service providers laid out a joint long-term vision along with concrete solutions to the complex challenge of reaching net-zero CO₂ emissions from all flights departing the EU, UK and EFTA by 2050. The independent report by the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and SEO Amsterdam Economics shows how a combination of actions from all stakeholders – including the EU and national governments – in four key areas could achieve substantial CO₂ emissions reductions in line with EU climate goals. These include: improvements in aircraft and engine technologies (including hybrid, electric and hydrogen propulsion), using sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) both for fixed- and rotary-wing platforms, implementing economic measures and improvements in air traffic management (ATM) and aircraft operations. For more information, visit www.destination2050.eu

Media contacts

A4E
Kevin Hiney
Communications Director
Email: kevin.hiney@a4e.eu
Phone: +32 499 82 82 94