When it comes to aviation as an industry, it is easy to see that the lion's share of the carbon emissions stems from the jet fuel burned by aircraft. Currently, the industry is placing its hopes on scaling the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reach net-zero carbon long-term goals and interim reduction targets.However, it is also no secret that SAF is expensive. Furthermore, given the feedstock's unreliability, the price tends to fluctuate, making it challenging to incorporate into operations without strategic long-term uptake agreements. Airlines have long been calling for more government support when scaling sustainable fuels, with varying results.

LHR targeting at least 10% SAF by 2030

In the UK, the government has set committed to scaling up the manufacturing of SAF domestically. However, it is not alone in funding airlines to operate with fewer emissions. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has set up a £38 million airport SAF incentive program designed to cover 50% of the extra cost of using a biofuel blend rather than operating on pure Jet A.

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The airport targets 11% SAF by 2030 (with the caveat of 'at least' 10%). And, if supply increases, there appears to be no shortage of takers. Last year's program was oversubscribed, and Heathrow aims to triple the percentage used in 2023 to approximately 1.5%. Participants of the scheme include IAG, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines, Air France, KLM, and JetBlue.

Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

This may seem small, but considering that the airport only integrated SAF into regular operations in July 2021, it is making significant strides. The airport says that during 2023 alone, the SAF incentive is expected to save over 81,000 tonnes of CO2.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye commented at the end of last month,

“Sustainable aviation fuel is not just about protecting the benefits of aviation in a net zero world - it’s about economic opportunity, creating jobs here in the UK and securing the country’s future energy supplies. Heathrow has led the way on decarbonising aviation by incentivising airlines to use SAF, and Team Heathrow is now probably the biggest user of SAF in the world. But it is currently all imported. If Britain really wants to compete with the scale of ambition and the credible action seen from the US and Europe, supportive Government policy is needed and it is needed now.”

Pitfalls of various pathways

Scaling SAF and other lower-emission fuels is not entirely straightforward. No matter the love of French fries (or chips), used cooking oil will not meet industry decarbonization needs, and there is significant competition for other feedstock, including 'waste' animal fats. And bio-crops are not an option for entirely meeting SAF targets. In February this year, a briefing by the UK science academy, the Royal Society, warned that meeting UK aviation demand entirely with energy crops would require around half of UK agricultural land.

Meanwhile, producing enough green hydrogen to replace current fossil aviation fuel would require around 2.4 to 3.4 times the UK's annual renewable electricity generation (according to 2020 production figures. The path ahead is far from clear. Currently, incentive programs are a great way to scale existing technologies and provide investors with a more stable outlook. However, we must also beware of a "we'll cross that bridge when we get there approach" so as not to steer the SAF trajectory in the wrong direction.

  • heathrow_17581988126223
    London Heathrow Airport
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    LHR-EGLL
    Country:
    United Kingdom
    CEO:
    John Holland-Kaye
    Passenger Count :
    19,392,178 (2021)
    Runways :
    09L/27R - 3,902m (12,802ft) | 09R/27L - 3,660m (12,008ft)
    Terminals:
    Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5