UK imposes sustainable fuel targets on airlines

Airlines in the UK will be required to progressively switch to greener but more expensive fuel sources under government plans to help the heavily polluting industry decarbonise. Ten per cent of all jet fuel on flights taking off from the UK will need to be made up of so-called “sustainable aviation fuels”, or SAFs, by 2030, the government said on Thursday. Made up of a diverse range of sources from crops and used cooking oil to household waste, SAF can emit about 70% less carbon dioxide over its life cycle than traditional aviation fuel and is largely compatible with existing aero-engines. It currently represents the only realistic way for the airline industry to reach its target of net zero by 2050, given that breakthrough technologies such as hydrogen- or electric-powered passenger aircraft are still in experimental stages. But the new fuels are currently at least three times as expensive as traditional jet fuel, and only produced in very small quantities. Less than 1% of UK jet fuel was made from SAFs last year. With 1.2mn tonnes a year needed in the UK by 2030 under the mandate, the government hopes that binding targets will spur fuel companies to produce more, particularly in the UK, driving down the price in the process. “Sustainable aviation fuel protects the future of the UK aviation, the thousands of British jobs that depend on it, and the holidays and business travel flights that we all rely on,” said transport secretary Mark Harper. Environmental groups and some scientists have questioned the aviation industry’s reliance on SAFs to reach its target of net zero by 2050, and say it is unclear whether alternative fuels are viable or truly sustainable when needed at scale, arguing that flying less is the only way to genuinely cut emissions. Most airline bosses expect that a gradual switch to more expensive SAFs will lead to higher ticket prices as higher fuel costs are passed down to consumers.<br/>