Chancellor Rachel Reeves had said ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ (SAF) is essential as projects like Heathrow’s third runway go forward, but comments from the industry chief put business backing in doubt.
Early in January, the government’s ‘SAF mandate’ became law, requiring two percent of the aviation fuel supply in 2025 to be from sustainable sources.
Pouring water on the chancellor’s vision, Mr Sawan added that he thought only a “very, very small proportion” of aviation fuel around the world would be sustainable by 2035.
The industry chief added that only stricter laws will be enough to ensure take up of SAF, acknowledging the importance of Labour’s SAF Mandate.
The current take up of SAF in the aviation industry is “less than 0.1 per cent,” Mr Sawan said.
