The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has wrapped up a 20-month pilot test of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with the conclusion that, while Changi Airport is ready for SAF use, more supplies are required to support adoption.
The pilot—conducted in partnership with Singapore Airlines, global environmental investment fund GenZero, and Singapore-based investment company Temasek—highlighted three areas. Firstly, it validated the end-to-end process of bringing SAF to the airport, from procurement to blending with conventional jet fuel in Singapore facilities, certification, and delivery to the airport without the need to modify any existing infrastructure at Changi.
Next, it enabled the generation of SAF credits. Singapore Airlines purchased 1,000 tonnes of neat, unblended SAF for the test, which generated 1,000 verified SAF credits—equivalent to the reduction of 2,500 tonnes of CO2—through the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials Book & Claim System. That indicated that transactions in SAF credits could be done in a trusted and transparent manner, forming the basis for a marketplace for them.
Lastly, of those credits, approximately two-thirds were sold during the span of the program, indicating market demand, while demonstrating that more education, outreach, and support from corporations and governmental policy is required.
The aviation authority will use the results of the program in the development of its Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint, and it will create a long-term secured SAF supply ecosystem for Singapore.
“CAAS is developing a structural offtake mechanism to support SAF adoption,” said Han Kok Juan, the agency’s director-general, adding that IATA estimates SAF will account for 65 percent of the carbon emissions reductions needed by the industry to reach net zero by 2050. “This will take into account developments elsewhere in the world, including discussions at the upcoming third International Civil Aviation Organization Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels.”