sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

IATA's SAF Registry has gone live under new management and will accelerate net zero transition by helping build a global SAF market, the organization said.

Airlines say the step up to 6% SAF in 2030 will not be achievable without urgent steps to boost production.

ASTM will soon focus on the technical evaluation of candidate synthetic fuels, and the role aircraft and engine manufacturers play in ensuring jet fuel is safe.

Multi-feedstock SAF production tested; Australian e-aircraft programs advance; ZeroAvia to study large hydrogen UAS; Vertiport design mitigates eVTOL downwash.

European airlines are worried that they will not be able to secure enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to comply with tightening European mandates, but they insist that does not mean they are giving up on their industry-wide 2050 goal.

European airlines say a 2030 mandate for SAF uptake may need to be delayed because there will not be enough of the alternative fuel available.

A pilot project done by Universal Fuel Technologies shows that the company can produce 100% SAF from multiple renewable feedstocks at reduced cost.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) startup Hydrogen Refinery—which is headquartered in Farnborough—has signed an agreement with Farnborough Airport.

Renewable fuel producer Neste is growing sustainable aviation fuel capacity even if obstacles remain for wider uptake across industry.

Airbus is leading a new European research project to study how the composition of a sustainable aviation fuel influences the formation of contrails.

As sustainability takes center stage in 2025, Airbus is testing a new book-and-claim system, while IATA will manage its own SAF registry through a new entity.

Airbus is focusing on a “realpolitik” approach to accelerating innovation into products in the nearer term.

Signature Aviation announced six new locations in Europe where operators can fuel with blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Renewable fuel producer Neste noticed more demand for SAF after EU mandates were introduced but believes the legislation's stepped approach is suboptimal.

A lack of SAF and common government policies are hindering Africa’s decarbonization progress.

Industry says new legislation aimed at turning decarbonization into a growth driver does not go far enough in supporting green transition.

Japan Airlines and Airbus have joined a consortium of three other companies that plans to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Japan.

Europe resets its ingredients to achieve carbon net zero as the mission gets more complicated.

JetBlue Airways will begin using SAF for flights from its New York JFK base, marking the first time sustainable fuel will be regularly used at the airport.

Less than four years after boldly pledging to reach net zero emissions by 2050, IATA appears to be dropping the target. Is the airline industry abandoning sustainability or just acknowledging reality?

Japan has completed the construction of its first large-scale sustainable aviation fuel facility, which is set to produce 79 million gal. by 2030.

Net zero—out of reach by the middle of the century ... or is it?

The association questions whether airlines can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, receiving applause from the industry and criticism from environmental groups

Ronald Lam became Cathay Group CEO in January 2023. He is also chair of Cathay’s LCC, HK Express Airways, and director at John Swire & Sons.