(27 June 2022, 10:57 +07)
IATA has called on 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.
To fulfill 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 would be a tipping
point for SAF production and utilization.
Aircraft flying overhead with contrails. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com
“Governments don’t need to invent a playbook,”
said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “Incentives to
transition electricity production to renewable sources like solar
or wind worked. As a result, clean energy solutions are now cheap
and widely available. With similar incentives for SAF, we could
see 30 billion liters available by 2030. Though still far from
where we need to be, it would be a clear tipping point towards our
net zero ambition of ample SAF quantities at affordable prices.”
In 2021, irrespective of price (SAF is between two
and four times the price of conventional jet fuel), airlines have
purchased every drop of the 125 million liters of SAF that was
available. And already, more than 38 countries have SAF-specific
policies that clear the way for the market to develop. Taking
their cue from these policy measures, airlines have entered into
$17 billion of forward-purchasing agreements for SAF.
Further investment in production needs support
from the right policies. This would boost supply and drive down
costs.
Electricity production through solar or wind power
faced similar hurdles as these technologies replaced fossil fuels.
With effective policy incentives, both are now affordable and
widely available.
By applying similar incentive-based policies to
SAF, governments can support global SAF production to reach 30
billion liters by the end of the decade. This would be a tipping
point as it would send a clear signal to the market that SAF is
playing its intended long-term role in aviation’s decarbonization
and encourage investments to drive up production and drive down
the price.
The market for SAF needs stimulation on the
production side. The United States is setting an example for
others to follow. Its SAF production is expected to reach 11
billion liters in 2030 on the back of heavy government incentives.
Europe, on the other hand, is the example not to
follow. Under its Fit for 55 initiative, the EU is planning to
mandate that airlines uplift 5% SAF at every European airport by
2030. Decentralizing production will delay the development of
economies of scale. And forcing the land transport of SAF will
reduce the environmental benefit of using SAF.
Hydrogen and electrically powered aircraft are
part of aviation’s plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but
they are likely to be limited to short-haul routes. SAF is the
proven solution for long-haul flying.
“Hydrogen and/or electric propulsion systems will
most likely be available for short haul commercial flights by
2035, but the majority of emissions come from long-haul widebody
flights and to tackle these emissions, SAF is the only proven
solution. We know it works, and we need to double down our efforts
to get all actors of the industry on board, including governments,
to increase production, availability, and uptake” said Sebastian
Mikosz, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Environment and
Sustainability.
In October 2021, IATA member airlines came
together and took the monumental decision to commit to achieving
net zero emissions by 2050, a huge challenge as the expected scale of the
industry in 2050 will require the mitigation of 1.8 gigatons of
carbon.
To provide the right set of consistent policies
and long-term stability needed for investments, the aviation
industry is calling on all governments to support the adoption of
a long term climate goal for air transport at the 41st Assembly of
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) this
September, aligned with industry commitments.
This climate goal is
critical to back up the industry’s decarbonization ambitions and
would provide a global multilateral framework for action without
distorting competition.
Latest
exclusive video interviews: Future of Air Travel -
Interview with Sumesh Patel, President of SITA Asia Pacific; Miss
International Queen 2024 (MIQ 2024) - Interview with Alisa
Phanthusak, MD, Tiffany's Show Pattaya, Thailand; 16
HD Video Interviews from Routes Europe 2024 in Aarhus, Denmark;
9 HD Video Interviews from Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi, Malaysia;
Standard to Open Residences in Hua Hin and Phuket, Thailand; Video
Interview with Amar Lalvani, Executive Chairman;
9 Exclusive Video Interviews
from ASEAN Tourism Forum
2024
in Vientiane, Laos;
8 NTO Press Conferences from ASEAN Tourism Forum 2024 in
Vientiane, Laos;
13 HD Video Interviews from World Travel
Market 2023 in London, England;
5 HD Video Interviews from APG World Connect 2023 in Monaco, France;
and
15 HD Video Interviews from Routes World 2023 in Istanbul, TĂĽrkiye.
Headlines: |
|
|