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airlines implementing NDC, 29% said programmes had not been affected and 28% were unaware of any NDC impact. However, only 6% registered a positive impact from NDC, despite the claimed benefits for travellers. NDC is aimed at enabling


Amazon-style, personalised retail- ing of flights and airline ancillaries via third-party distributors. However, half the buyers


surveyed by GBTA (48%) had not begun to implement NDC, 14% reported “challenges” with the implementation process and 25% said it was too early to assess the implementation. Only 4% reported no difficulties. Six out of 10 buyers (61%) had no budget to meet the costs of NDC implementation. Eight out of 10 corporate


buyers (81%) said they needed more information on NDC. Half the buyers (50%) did not feel their TMC shared sufficient information on NDC or their plans for implementation. More than one-third (36%)


of travel intermediaries in the survey – including TMCs, GDSs and online-booking tool (OBT) providers – reported challenges implementing NDC ranging from “some” to “many”. The US travel advisors’


association Asta has called for an anti-trust investigation of American Airlines, warning of “substantially higher air ticket prices” and urging members to submit details of the price disparities between NDC and non-NDC channels (Travel Weekly, April 13). The UK’s Institute of Travel Management has noted “a deluge of complaints from travellers about fares being visible but not bookable”. The GBTA survey, carried


out on April 10-21, drew more than 800 responses.


EU sets specific mandates for airlines’ use of SAF


Ian Taylor


The EU agreed details of its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate last week while the UK government continues to consult on its plans. The European Commission,


European Parliament and council of ministers agreed SAF must comprise a minimum 2% of fuel supplied at EU airports from 2025, 6% by 2030 and 20% by 2035, rising to 70% by 2050. The UK government’s SAF


mandate aims for 5% use from 2025 and 10% from 2030 but has no concrete plans to achieve this as yet, with a consultation under way. Airlines departing EU airports


will be allowed to take on fuel only necessary for a flight, to avoid ‘tankering’ – flying into the EU with excess fuel to avoid the expense of refuelling with SAF, which is likely to cost more than kerosene. The mandate covers biofuels,


recycled carbon fuels and synthetic aviation fuels (e-fuels) but excludes food and feed crops. The EU claims


Decarbonisation ‘is challenge but also opportunity’


Decarbonising flying will be “extremely challenging” but offers “significant opportunities”, the head of aviation decarbonisation at the Department for Transport (DfT) told an Abta Aviation Forum last week. Ruhana Begum, head of jet zero


46 4 MAY 2023


The EU says 6% of fuel must be SAF by 2030


it should reduce aircraft CO2 emissions by about two-thirds by 2050 compared to doing nothing and should “help kick-start large-scale [SAF] production”. Iata welcomed the agreement,


with deputy director general Conrad Clifford saying it “provides important clarity on expected future SAF levels in the EU” but added: “Without a comprehensive policy framework to incentivise cheaper production, mandates alone simply risk a huge increase in cost.” Clifford noted: “The EC has


already conceded supply will be uneven across the EU.”


policy development at the DfT, noted: “Aviation is expected to have higher residual emissions than any other sector by 2050, so it’s a big challenge and the technology solutions have long lead times.” Yet she also said: “Sustainable


aviation fuel [SAF] has the potential to contribute significantly to the economy.” Andy Jefferson, programme


director at the Sustainable Aviation coalition, told the forum: “Decarbonising the industry will cost money and be passed through


The group representing Europe’s


major airlines, Airlines for Europe, demanded EU leaders ensure development of “a strong SAF industry . . . in the same way they support other sustainable technologies”. The EU also agreed to introduce


an eco-label for flights from 2025. Brussels-based environmental


lobby group Transport & Environment (T&E) also hailed the “pioneering deal”, with aviation manager Matteo Mirolo noting: “The EU doubled down on synthetic fuels, the only type of SAFs that can sustainably be scaled up to meet the fuel demands of the sector, and limited the use of unsustainable biofuels.” The EU set a synthetic fuel


mandate of 1.2% for 2030-31 and 2% for 2032-35 which Mirolo described as “a stark increase” from the original EC proposal of 0.7% by 2035. It also excluded biofuel feedstocks such as food crops and palm oil byproducts, but kept “other problematic feedstocks that are neither sustainable nor scalable” including animal fats and used cooking oil.


to passengers. The fuels we’ll be using [for SAF] include waste that can’t be recycled and residual waste from forestry and agriculture. [But] waste-based fuels are about five times the price of jet fuel and power-to-liquid [synthetic] fuels cost about 10 times more. We need to reduce that [price] gap.” He argued: “SAF can provide


75% of aviation fuel by 2050 and two-thirds of that can be UK-made with the right policy support. The risk is the UK could miss out. SAF is going to become a global market.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/aappp


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