Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Welcome back to Jump Seat. This is the fourth email in our ongoing series on sustainability and climate change as they affect business aviation. Sustainability is already a critical issue for the public and governments in Europe and is becoming an issue worldwide. This time, we’ll focus on sustainable aviation fuel, usually abbreviated SAF. 

Protests against the perceived climate effects of business aviation have stepped up in recent months. Recently, a conference session at the Corporate Jet Investor London 2023 conference was interrupted by climate protesters, and about 100 protesters broke through a fence at the eBACE static display, causing the airport to close for a short time. While it’s unlikely that their biggest demand (banning private jets entirely) will ever be met, they do represent a wider and growing dissatisfaction. 

What is Sustainable Aviation Fuel? 

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a usable replacement for jet fuel with a smaller carbon footprint than regular jet fuel. It is blended from regular jet fuel plus sustainable “feedstocks.” In this context, feedstocks can include agricultural waste products, forestry and municipal waste, algae, and other biologically derived hydrocarbons. 

From aviationbenefits.org – see Useful Links below 

This image gives a simplistic view of the SAF ecosystem. For example, the “blending tank” represents any one of seven possible processes, with from 10% to 50% of the recertified fuel being from sustainable feedstocks. And there are six distinct physical and chemical checks that permit the resulting fuel to be certified as Jet A1. 

Facts about SAF 

• It is a 1-for-1 replacement for Jet A1 and can be used in any aircraft. 
• Depending on the refinery and blender, up to 50% of the fuel can come from sustainable sources. 
• It is more expensive than regular jet fuel (but costs may come down over time). 
• Availability is spotty (but wider demand may help with this). 
• There is an approach to adopting SAF even if you fly where it’s not available yet. This is called “Book and Claim” and it’s like trading in carbon credits or renewable electricity sources. See “Useful Links” and graphic below for more information. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions are lower for SAF itself than for unblended Jet A1, and there are additional sustainability benefits from the waste-recycling perspective. 

Operational Usage and Impact 

• SAF, being a direct substitute for Jet A1, can be used today. 
• The total impact of SAF is not likely to bring a significant improvement in emissions soon, but early adoption will increase usage and visibility. 
• Even though SAF costs more than regular fuel, there are intangible benefits in terms of public perceptions, international relationships, and UN sustainability goals. 

SAF Availability in Europe 

SAF is, as mentioned, is not widely available, but availability in Europe is getting better. See the next figure for more information. It shows two classes of data—airports and bases with SAF and nation-state mandates and recommendations for SAF. 

From Eurocontrol sustainability pages – see Useful Links below 

Book and Claim 

The image below shows how a book-and-claim registry makes it possible to get the environmental benefit of SAF even when you can’t use the fuel yourself. The available fuel goes into your aircraft, but you claim it as an SAF transaction because the same amount of SAF will end up an aircraft where it is available. 

From rsb.org – see Useful Links below 

The next article in our sustainability series will be about Free Route Airspace (FRA), an initiative by Eurocontrol to provide greater flexibility and efficiency in the planning and execution of air traffic flows in Europe. Have other sustainability-related topics you would like for us to cover? Reply to this email and share your thoughts. 

• Sustainable Aviation Fuel can be produced by seven different internationally approved processes. To learn more, read this guidance by Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders.  
• Collins Aerospace is committed to sustainability in flight. In October 2021, we signed the Air Transportation Action Group's declaration to Fly Net Zero by 2050. For information on what else we’re doing, visit https://www.collinsaerospace.com/sustainability.

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