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Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Pioneering the Future of Eco-Friendly Air Travel

Geetisri Baishya

Introduction
The aviation industry stands at a pivotal crossroads, grappling with the imperative to reduce its environmental footprint. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) have emerged as a beacon of hope, offering a pathway to significantly lower carbon emissions and promote greener skies. This article delves into the current landscape of SAF, recent advancements, and the future outlook of this transformative technology.​

Understanding Sustainable Aviation Fuels

SAF are renewable fuels derived from various sources such as cooking oil, animal waste fat, agricultural and forestry waste, municipal waste, and even direct carbon capture from the atmosphere. These fuels can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft engines without modifications. The primary advantage of SAF lies in its potential to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. ​
Earth.Org
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Recent Developments in SAF Production

In a significant move, Colombia’s state-run energy company, Ecopetrol, announced plans to invest between $500 million and $700 million to construct a SAF production plant at the Barrancabermeja refinery. The facility aims to commence operations by 2030, producing approximately 6,000 barrels of SAF daily. This investment underscores the growing commitment of energy companies to sustainable fuel alternatives. ​
Reuters

However, the journey towards widespread SAF adoption is not without challenges. Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), recently expressed concerns that the aviation industry’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 are lagging. He emphasized that while airlines have committed to this goal, other stakeholders, including fuel suppliers and aircraft manufacturers, need to contribute more actively. ​
Reuters

Market Outlook and Challenges

The SAF market is poised for growth, driven by regulatory developments and voluntary commitments. According to SkyNRG’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Market Outlook 2024, global SAF capacity is projected to reach 17.3 million tonnes by 2030, a 4.0 million tonne increase compared to previous estimates. This surge is largely attributed to policies like ReFuelEU in Europe and voluntary uptake in the United States supported by incentives. ​
SkyNRG

Despite this optimistic projection, the industry faces hurdles, notably the limited availability and high cost of sustainable feedstocks. The production cost of SAF can be significantly higher than that of conventional jet fuel, posing economic challenges for widespread adoption. Additionally, infrastructure and distribution challenges further complicate the scalability of SAF production. ​
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The Road Ahead

To accelerate the adoption of SAF, a multifaceted approach is essential:​

Policy Support: Governments worldwide must implement supportive policies, including blending mandates, incentives, and carbon pricing mechanisms, to make SAF more economically viable.​
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Technological Innovation: Investing in research and development can lead to more efficient production pathways, reducing costs and increasing feedstock availability.​

Industry Collaboration: Stakeholders across the aviation value chain, from fuel producers to airlines and aircraft manufacturers, need to collaborate to address infrastructure challenges and create a cohesive strategy for SAF integration.​

In conclusion, while Sustainable Aviation Fuels present a promising solution for reducing aviation’s carbon footprint, realizing their full potential requires concerted efforts from industry players, policymakers, and researchers. By addressing current challenges and fostering innovation, the aviation industry can navigate towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Asia Pacific airlines: state of the industry; more hurdles in international recovery

Geetisri Baishya

As we are nearing the end 2024, Asia Pacific’s airline industry continues to face hurdles on its path to fully recovering international capacity. While capacity is nearing 2019 levels, growth has slowed due to ongoing challenges. This report, based on insights from Adrian Schofield at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit in Hong Kong, explores Asia Pacific’s recovery trends, with a focus on Thailand, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and India, and covers factors like aircraft orders, LCC growth, and upcoming challenges for 2025.

While international air travel has rebounded worldwide, the Asia Pacific region’s recovery rate lags at 94% of 2019 levels, compared to over 100% in regions like Europe and North America. This slower recovery is largely due to delayed border reopening’s, which put Asia Pacific’s rebound on a later timeline.

Since 2022, Asia Pacific has seen steady growth in travel demand, but recovery rates have plateaued in 2024, hovering in the high 80s to low 90s. Year-on-year, international seat availability has increased by 16%, though it only grew 4% in early 2024.

Notably, all top domestic city pairs and six of the top ten international routes are within Asia Pacific, reflecting strong regional demand. However, Thailand, where tourism drives 20% of jobs, still sees visitor numbers 13% below 2019 levels. China, previously Thailand’s largest tourism market, shows a modest 55% recovery in visitor numbers, underscoring Asia Pacific’s gradual but ongoing return to pre-pandemic travel norms.

The recovery gap persists due to slow international demand in key markets like China and Japan, supply chain issues delaying new aircraft deliveries, and macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges impacting demand in some areas.