The International Air Transport Association (IATA) asked the European Union to support aviation’s energy transition to sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as part of the bloc’s Green Deal, being launched tomorrow.

Since SAF were first certified as ready for use in commercial operations in 2009, over 215,000 flights have taken off using some blend of this low carbon fuel. The industry believes that achieving 2% of global jet fuel from non-fossil sources by 2025 could create a tipping point for production and cost of SAF. The 14 production facilities currently operating, under construction or in the final stages of financing and planning take the industry a long way towards the 2% goal. But more progress is needed.

The role of governments in energy transition has been mapped in the successful development of solar and wind solutions for power generation. Aviation should be the priority for sustainable liquid fuels.

SAF are a critical component of aviation’s long-term efforts to cut its emissions to half 2005 levels by 2050. The industry’s strategy to achieve this also includes significant investment in new technology aircraft, research into electric and hybrid propulsion, programs to improve operational efficiency, and the world’s first global sectoral climate mechanism, CORSIA.