In this episode, SGS INSPIRE interviewed Laurent Donceel, Deputy Managing Director at industry federation, Airlines for Europe (A4E), and Klaas Pel, Global Head of Aviation Regulation at Neste.

Together, they discussed the impact of the EU Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate of 2% usage for all aircrafts departing from EU airports effective as of January 1, 2025. This concerns all flights, domestic and international, and all airlines passing by EU airports with the exclusion of a few small airports. It represents 95% of all CO2 emissions from aviation in Europe.

The conversation covered the current SAF production and consumption levels and the feasibility of increasing production capacity to meet the global demand triggered by the EU. Laurent Donceel estimated that 2.6 million tons of SAF will be consumed when the EU mandate kicks in. A staggering increase from the 200,000 tons in 2023.

They also look at the various SAF feedstocks, including used cooking oils and animal fats. Klaas Pel estimated that about 40 million tons of feedstock will be globally available in 2030.

The conversation went on about synthetic fuel or e-SAF and the likelihood of its commercial availability, as it is included in the EU mandate.

Finally, the interview ends with a note of optimism from speakers showing confidence that SAF production will meet demand beyond the EU. However, challenges with regards sourcing of new feedstocks will remain.