Pathway to net zero: Reviewing sustainable aviation fuels, environmental impacts and pricing

Abstract

Supporting the pathway to net zero carbon emissions in the aviation industry, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) will contribute to a large extent to reduce net CO₂ emissions in the next decades to deliver on climate targets. For this reason, the large-scale uptake of SAFs in aviation is on top of the agenda of regulatory policy. However, challenges remain for building the respective infrastructure and supply chains at the appropriate scale to produce and distribute SAF at a reasonable cost. Currently, only one percent of fuels consumed by airlines in Europe are blended with sustainable aviation fuels. The paper examines current SAF production pathways, environmental benefits, and estimated fuel prices from the state-of-the art literature. Further, regulatory policies established by governments, regulatory agencies and industry associations are examined, regarding blending mandates in different regional markets. The authors conclude with the statistical analysis of minimum selling prices for different types of SAF, and discuss their respective availability.