Environment


Gatwick and Heathrow are following suit, something also true from Melbourne to Dubai. At the same time, Murphy argues that this enthusiasm is likely to continue if only because of the other benefits SAFs can offer operators. Obviously, being over 70% more carbon efficient than fossil fuels is nothing to sniff at. But in a world where costs are rising fast, the fact that SAFs can make plane engines more efficient surely explains their popularity too.


It should come as no surprise that where airlines go, other industries follow. Though SAF production has long been ruled by a few companies – the Finnish company Neste currently dominates Europe – the broad rise of sustainable fuels has seen competitors enter the fray. Häberlein, for his part, highlights OMV, a Viennese oil and petrochemical firm that recently announced it would supply SAF to Austrian Airlines. For Murphy, all this can only be for the good. Finally dragging sustainable fuel into the mainstream, demand could finally create a “stable environment” where investment increases and producers are encouraged to continue investing.


Work to be done


Given all this, it is tempting to imagine that SAFs will soon sweep fossil alternatives off the runway. But both Häberlein and Murphy sound a note of caution. The first potential problem is on the supply side. The SAF+ Consortium may be doing its best, but there are still no large-scale plants for PtL production. Nor can operators simply snap their fingers and expect a factory to appear overnight. To explain what he means, Murphy uses the example of electric vehicles. They may have become theoretically possible a decade ago – but are only really becoming popular now. That is reflected by the fact that PtL is currently the most expensive type of SAF, with Häberlein claiming it will only become the cheapest by the middle of this century.


British Airways becomes first airline to use SAF produced at a commercial scale in the UK


British Airways (BA) has become the first airline in the world to start using SAF produced at a commercial scale in the UK, with the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery near Immingham, England, producing thousands of tonnes for BA flights. The SAF is produced from sustainable waste feedstock and is set to be added to the existing pipeline infrastructure that directly feeds several UK airports, including London Heathrow. The sustainable aviation fuel bought by BA will reduce lifecycle CO2


emissions by


almost 100,000t, which the company claims would be enough to power 700 net-zero CO2


emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787


aircraft. International Airlines Group (IAG), BA’s parent company, plans to invest $400m over the next two decades into the development of SAF, and BA has existing partnerships with several companies to develop plants and purchase the sustainable fuel. “Our supplies of SAF from Phillips 66 Limited will allow us to progress with our ambitious roadmap to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner and will play a role in our commitment, as part of IAG, to power 10% of flights with SAF by 2030,” says Sean Doyle, chairman and CEO at BA.


“Progressing the development and commercial scale up of sustainable aviation fuel will be a game changer and crucial to reducing the aviation sector’s reliance on fossil fuels and improving the UK’s energy supply resilience. I’m confident that Britain can take a leading role on the global stage in this space, creating green jobs and export opportunities, if industry, developers and government continue to collaborate and


make it a key focus area.” Source: British Airways


when they are burnt. Naturally, that is not to say that SAFs are toast. On the contrary, Häberlein thinks passengers will be the “drivers” of their adoption, imperfect environmental outcomes notwithstanding. Combined with industry and government efforts, the German seems confident that SAF will eventually take its rightful spot at fuel loading stations the world over. “Binding quotas may significantly increase the global SAF volume and change the decision-making on the use of SAF,” he says. “Legally binding quotas can lead to increased production and use of SAF in the future.” Given all the enthusiasm we heard in Glasgow in November 2021, we must certainly hope so. ●


If that does not put consumers off sustainable fuels – higher petrol costs means pricier tickets – more fundamental problems might arise instead. Though SAFs emit considerably fewer carbon emissions than across their whole production cycle, even PtLs produce CO2


100 million


Litres of SAF


produced globally in 2021.


370,000 Flights have


used SAF between 2016–21.


International Air Transport Association


Future Airport / www.futureairport.com 13


Munich Airport


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