Airlines' sustainability mantra masks divides over green future

Promoting the Singapore Airshow on Sunday, the organiser of the event was asked what would be different about this year's aviation and defence jamboree. "Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability," he replied. The sound bite from Leck Chet Lam, managing director of the events business Experia, was a precursor to three days packed with green-focused panels and announcements, often accompanied by the tagline "sustainable aerospace together". Despite the public-facing united front, the air show has exposed deep divides over how the industry can achieve its goal of "net zero" carbon emissions by 2050. Airline bosses, green fuel producers and manufacturers contradicted each other and pointed fingers over the thorniest issue: who is responsible for the slow take up of so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF, a biofuel made from plant or animal materials, such as used cooking oil or agricultural waste, can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with traditional jet fuel. But it is up to five times more expensive and there is a huge shortage of feedstock needed to make it. SAF is similar in chemistry and performance to fossil jet fuel. Two decades after airlines began pledging to use biofuels, SAF makes up just 0.2% of the global jet fuel market. The aviation industry says that number will rise to 65% by 2050, although environmental groups say there is no credible roadmap to achieve the goal. Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, said at an event on Monday that the only way to achieve "net zero" was the widespread use of SAF. "Demand is not an issue," Walsh said, adding that airlines use "every drop" of SAF that is produced.<br/>