The concept of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is now fully integrated into all aspects of the aviation industry, according to Steve Csonka, the executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). Assessing the state of the SAF industry this morning during the organization’s virtual two-day SAF event, he explained that all Airlines for America (A4A) member airlines—including United, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaiian along with cargo carriers FedEx, UPS, and Atlas Air—now have offtake agreements for SAF. Further, most have full teams associated with the valuation of suppliers, “and unprecedently, investments.” He noted that some airlines have even joined forces to fund technology development in the space.
The business aviation community is also heavily engaged with producers and suppliers arranging to have SAF deliveries at nearly 30 airports in the U.S.
Yet, it is acknowledged that SAF alone is not a silver bullet for the industry’s decarbonization aspirations. “The bottom line is we are all working on a SAF and... [other approaches],” said Csonka, alluding to SAF's position as the only major decarbonization method available. “We’re not exactly sure how the other pillars will unfold, but we recognize that we can’t achieve aviation sustainability goals without significant SAF production.”
With seven approved pathways for SAF production and many more under evaluation, achieving the SAF production goals set forth will require many areas. “As of yet there is no winning specific combination of technology and feedstock that is out there, and feedstocks are not ubiquitous across the U.S. or for that matter across the world,” Csonka explained.