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Airports are emerging as catalysts in aviation’s decarbonisation efforts, taking on a central role as “strong facilitators and enablers” of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) deployment.The Airports Council International’s (ACI) World Airports and Sustainable Aviation Fuels Policy Brief 2026 stated that airports are already encouraging their users to procure SAF, helping move the industry closer to its net zero ambition.“At the centre of the aviation system, airports can and are already playing an important role in facilitating and encouraging their users to procure SAF and, in doing so, contribute to moving the aviation industry forward in its ambition to decarbonise,” according to the policy brief. The ACI emphasised that airports possess extensive convening power, enabling them to bring together airlines, regulators, and the wider public to align interests in support of cleaner energy adoption.The report noted that sustainable aviation fuels could reduce approximately 55% of international aviation emissions, with life cycle reductions of up to 80% compared with conventional jet fuel, depending on production pathways and compliance with sustainability criteria.The ACI explained that SAF can be distributed across the existing fuel supply chain without modification, a major advantage that lowers costs and complexity of adoption.“Strong political commitments and a growing number of national and sub-national policies have contributed to the recent growth of the SAF market, which has doubled in production every year since 2023. “Scenarios estimate SAF production needs between 330 and 500 Mt of SAF per annum by 2050. 1 Mt was produced in 2024, 1.9 Mt expected in 2025, and 2.4 Mt potentially expected for 2026,” the report stated. The brief also highlighted barriers such as high SAF premiums, limited facilities, and geographic mismatches between production and demand hubs. The ACI stressed that unlocking financial resources and adopting policy frameworks are essential to de risk capital investments for SAF projects.“The aviation sector, in coordination with the energy and financing sectors, must accelerate and ramp up the development of SAF on a global scale, to meet the  International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) global vision of reducing CO2 emissions in international aviation by 5% by 2030 through the use of SAF, LCAF and other aviation cleaner energies (compared to zero cleaner energy use), as agreed by the ICAO Third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) in 2023 (ICAO, 2023a),” the report stated. The report added that airports worldwide are undertaking initiatives to promote SAF, including consortia, feasibility studies, and roadmaps, reinforcing their role as conveners in the global decarbonisation agenda.

Efforts to accelerate the deployment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) are gaining momentum, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) joining forces to ensure transparent reporting that can build confidence across the industry and keep aviation on track for its 2050 net zero target.“By working with ICAO to strengthen how progress on SAF use is measured and reported, we can accelerate deployment, build trust across stakeholders, and put aviation on track for net zero by 2050,” stated IATA Director General Willie Walsh.Walsh’s statement came after IATA and ICAO announced enhanced cooperation at the ‘ICAO Aviation Climate Week’ to advance transparency and integrity in tracking progress and accelerating the development and deployment of SAF.Both organisations agreed to explore how SAF registries and the data they collect can support the implementation of ICAO’s Long Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) Monitoring and Reporting methodology, as well as the consideration of fuel accounting systems for international aviation.ICAO secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar said the agreement would strengthen ICAO’s leadership in supporting states and industry to scale up SAF and other cleaner energies.“Achieving ICAO’s vision of net zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050 will require unprecedented levels of transparency and cooperation across the entire sector,” Salazar emphasised.The partnership is seen to enhance efforts of stakeholders in the Middle East, which is positioning itself as a strategic hub for SAF production, with industry forums in Abu Dhabi underscoring the region’s growing role in eFuel innovation.Formula 1 announced in 2024 that it is expanding its SAF investments through a new programme developed with Qatar Airways. Formula 1 added that Qatar Airways Group completed in the same year an additional purchase of SAF for use in its fleet, which has resulted in reduction of 19,000 tCO2e.The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has also launched research projects with Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Qatar Airways to explore SAF production from local resources, aligning with Qatar’s 2024–2030 climate strategy.Beyond Qatar, regional energy giants are investing heavily in SAF. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) became the first Middle East company to receive ISCC certification for SAF production at its Ruwais Refinery, while Saudi Aramco has partnered with TotalEnergies and SIRC to build a SAF plant in Dammam.Aramco is also developing eFuel demonstration projects in NEOM, producing synthetic fuels from green hydrogen and captured CO2, underscoring the Gulf’s ambition to lead in next generation aviation energy.As IATA and ICAO strengthen global monitoring frameworks, Gulf carriers and energy firms are well placed to benefit from transparent SAF accounting systems, ensuring that regional investments are recognised consistently under international climate frameworks.“By improving our global monitoring capabilities and visibility into SAF production, distribution, and use, we can support the integrity of global fuel accounting systems and ensure that climate investments are recognised consistently and transparently under ICAO frameworks,” Salazar pointed out.According to IATA, close collaboration between industry and states, underpinned by robust systems and high-quality data, will aim to enable transparent and credible tracking of aviation cleaner energies and their contribution towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in alignment with the respective IATA and ICAO ambitions and commitments.Walsh said, “Credible tracking is necessary to know the emissions reductions delivered by SAF. The data collected by the CADO SAF Registry, among others, has the potential to meet this need...This will set a great example for individual states to work with industry to make the most of the SAF data that is being accumulated.” 

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production hasn’t scaled fast enough to the optimum level the industry and climate goals require — even though SAF is widely seen as a key tool for reducing aviation emissions.SAF production has grown substantially from very low levels, but it still represents only a tiny fraction of total jet fuel demand globally.Currently, SAF production is well under 1% of the total jet fuel demand and expected to fall short of long-term targets.SAF production growth is projected to slow down and reach 2.4mn tons in 2026 as poorly designed mandates seem to have stalled momentum in the fledgling SAF industry.In 2025, SAF output is expected to reach 1.9mn tonnes, double the 1mn tons produced in 2024.SAF production this year represents only 0.6% of total jet fuel consumption, increasing to 0.8% in 2026, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).At current price levels, the SAF premium translates into an additional $3.6bn in fuel costs for the industry in 2025.The estimated SAF output for 2025 of 1.9mn tons is a downward revision from IATA’s earlier forecasts due to lack of policy support to take full advantage of the installed SAF capacities.SAF prices exceed fossil-based jet fuel by a factor of two, and by up to a factor of five in mandated markets.IATA Director General Willie Walsh noted, “SAF production growth fell short of expectations as poorly designed mandates stalled momentum in the fledgling SAF industry. If the goal of SAF mandates was to slow progress and increase prices, policymakers knocked it out of the park.“But if the objective is to increase SAF production to further the decarbonisation of aviation, then they need to learn from failure and work with the airline industry to design incentives that will work.”The cumulative impact of poorly designed policy frameworks is that airlines paid a premium of $2.9bn for the limited 1.9mn tons of SAF available in 2025. Of this, $1.4bn reflects the standard SAF price premium over conventional fuel.“Europe’s fragmented policies distort markets, slow investment, and undermine efforts to scale SAF production. Europe’s regulators must recognise that its approach is not working and urgently correct course. The recent European Commission STIP announcement is a step forward though it lacks a clear timeline. Actions, not words, are what matter,” said Walsh.The failure to accelerate the expansion of SAF production capacity will cause many airlines to review their own SAF targets.“Regrettably, many airlines that have committed to use 10% SAF by 2030 will be forced to reevaluate these commitments. SAF is not being produced in sufficient amounts to enable these airlines to achieve their ambition. These commitments were made in good faith but simply cannot be delivered,” said Walsh.EU's STIP (Sustainable Transport Investment Plan) announcement in aviation, unveiled in November, is a €2.9bn strategic plan to accelerate investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels (like SAFs) to meet its decarbonisation targetsIndustry analysts say SAF is much more expensive than conventional jet fuel — typically 2–5 times higher per unit. This price gap makes airlines hesitant to buy large amounts because they operate on very slim profit margins.Many producers struggle to make SAF financially viable without long-term contracts or government incentives. Airlines often don’t commit to large long-term purchase agreements, which in turn makes financiers and producers reluctant to invest in scaling up capacity.Traditional SAF pathways like Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids or HEFA (from used cooking oil and animal fats) rely on limited feedstocks that are also used in other industries (like road biofuels). The global availability of these sustainable feedstocks is constrained.Alternative feedstocks such as agricultural residues, municipal solid waste or algae have potential, but require new logistics, processing technologies, and infrastructure — which are not yet mature or widely deployed, analysts point out.SAF production isn’t scaling optimally yet because of various economic, technical, logistical, regulatory, and supply-chain barriers.The industry is still emerging from very low starting levels, and while capacity is growing, it remains too small and too costly vis-a-vis the global jet fuel market. 

Beyond the TarmacAirlines are estimated to need 500mn tonnes (Mt) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to achieve the industry’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.This can be achieved from two main sources- biomass and power-to-liquid, according to the International Air Transport Association.Biomass has the potential to produce more than 300Mt of bio-SAF annually by 2050. Some of this potential could be limited by use for competing sources. This potential could be expanded by unlocking additional feedstocks or through efficiency gains and technology improvements over intervening decades.Power-to-liquid (PtL) will be required to reach 500 Mt of SAF production annually by 2050. Maximising the volumes of cost-effective bio-SAF will reduce the pressure on e-SAF to bridge the gap.In all cases, to maximise SAF output, it will be essential to improve conversion efficiencies, accelerate technology rollout, enhance feedstock logistics, and invest in better infrastructure required to scale up commercial facilities across all regions.Recently, IATA in partnership with Worley Consulting, has published a study demonstrating that sufficient sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock exists to enable the airline industry to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.All feedstocks considered meet stringent sustainability criteria and do not lead to changes in land use.The study also identified significant barriers in using that feedstock for SAF production, namely the slow pace of technology rollout that would enable SAF to be produced from varied sources and competition with other potential users of the same feedstock.Currently, the only commercially scaled SAF production facilities use HEFA technology, for example converting used cooking oil into SAF.Policies allocating biomass feedstock to hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation must be prioritised.According to the report, there are sufficient sustainable feedstocks and SAF production technologies to decarbonise aviation and meet the net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050.With the right policies and investments, more than 300Mt of SAF from biomass feedstocks could be produced annually by mid-century and around 200Mt from e-SAF.Enhancing the feedstock supply chain infrastructure, scaling up novel sources that meet sustainability criteria, and ensuring that the feedstocks identified for SAF production are made available to the air transport industry remain a major challenge.Other major challenges, according to IATA, are: Accelerating technology rollout to unlock new SAF production technologies, especially PtL, including reliable access to the low-cost renewable electricity, hydrogen, and carbon capture infrastructure, which are all required as part of the PtL production method.Achieving coordinated government policies to support innovation, and investment to create a fully functioning SAF market, unlocking new economic opportunities.Rallying regional leadership, with North America, Brazil, Europe, India, China, and Asean identified as key drivers of global SAF output.Activating the energy industry to invest in SAF production capacity, support technology commercialisation, and align their business strategies with global decarbonisation goals.IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh said: “We now have unequivocal evidence that if SAF production is prioritised then feedstock availability is not a barrier in the industry’s path to decarbonisation.“There is enough potential feedstock from sustainable sources to reach net zero carbon emissions in 2050. However, this will only be accomplished with a major acceleration of the SAF industry’s growth. We need shovels in the ground now.”“With this study it becomes clear that we can make SAF the solution it needs to be for aviation’s decarbonisation. The potential to turn SAF feedstock into real SAF production is in the hands of policymakers and business leaders, particularly in the energy sector.“The conclusion of this study is an urgent call to action. We have just 25 years to turn this proven potential into reality,” said Walsh.Industry analysts say hitting net-zero aviation by 2050 is huge, technically possible, but it won’t happen by accident.The industry must scale SAF fast, modernise fleets, squeeze out operational savings, build hydrogen and PtL capacity, and deploy robust policy and finance — all co-ordinated internationally and backed by strict sustainability and verification — to credibly reach net-zero by 2050.