RENEWABLE ENERGY
“ We provide financing so that SAF producers can start their production facility,” Julien explains.“ For those smaller producers, it’ s really hard to find cheap financing to make their project work.”
The challenges of decarbonising aviation
TECHNICAL BARRIERS While SAF is“ drop-in” – meaning it can be used in existing aircraft and infrastructure – there are still technical hurdles. Not all feedstocks are created equal and scaling up production to meet global demand is a massive challenge.
ECONOMIC REALITIES The biggest challenge, however, is economic.“ There is one single major issue, and I say major, but it’ s the money,” says Julien.“ The problem with those fuels is that they’ re very expensive to manufacture and therefore the price at which they’ re being sold is two to three times the price of conventional fuel.”
POLICY AND REGULATION Policy frameworks are crucial.“ A policy will enable a new industry to emerge,” Julien believes. But definitions of what constitutes“ sustainable” can vary. For example, the EU restricts certain feedstocks, such as crop-based biofuels, while the US is more permissive.“ We don’ t want every country to have a different definition about what is sustainable aviation,” he warns.
“ WHAT IS REALLY EXCITING AND WHAT MAKES ME PASSIONATE IS THAT WE HAVE A PURPOSE STATEMENT THAT SAYS WE PIONEER SUSTAINABLE AEROSPACE FOR A SAFE AND UNITED WORLD”
JULIE KITCHER, CSO, AIRBUS
SUPPLY AND DEMAND The classic‘ chicken and egg’ dilemma looms large – airlines want to buy SAF, but producers need assurance of demand before investing in new facilities.“ You can activate demand by saying, okay, I force the fuel distributors to incorporate a certain percentage, a certain level of blend in the overall fuel mix.”
122 June 2025