Sustainable Aviation Fuel will become more accessible and affordable by 2040

Mohamed Rahma, Director of the Air Transport Bureau at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), said that airlines are committed to using alternative fuels and that investment in this sector is encouraging.

Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the ongoing third ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3), he explained that increasing production would reduce the prices of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Rahma said, "SAF is, on average, three times more expensive than traditional fuels, and it is expected that SAF will become more accessible and affordable by 2040.”

He pointed out that airlines will not use 100% sustainable aviation fuel all at once, but rather gradually, and therefore cost will not be an obstacle.

Regarding the third ICAO conference, Rahma said, "We look forward to exploring mechanisms to replace current fuels with low-carbon aviation fuels, sustainable fuels, and other renewable energies such as hydrogen and electricity.”

He explained that the conference revolves around four themes: supporting policies to promote the development and deployment of cleaner energy for aviation, how to help countries reach the goal of net-zero carbon emissions, financing cleaner energy, and the latest developments in cleaner energy technology for international aviation.

He pointed out that aircraft and engine manufacturing companies have begun announcing engines ready to use 100% sustainable fuel, which he considered among the indicators that call for optimism about reaching the goals on time.

Over a hundred countries and one thousand delegates are convening in Dubai to firm up their collective commitments to boost global aviation’s transition towards Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF), and other cleaner energy sources.

During 2023, ICAO conducted outreach activities and consultations to collect views among States and stakeholders on their expectations of a global framework that would facilitate the scale-up in developing, producing and deploying aviation cleaner energies.

WAM