EASA will have overall responsibility for monitoring the aviation industry’s progress in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 in the wake of the European Parliament's approval this week of the ReFuelEU Aviation regulations. Among the measures that will be enforced are steps to deter operators from tankering fuel to avoid making jet-A1 purchases at some airports, which results in heavier aircraft and increased pollution from fuel burn.
EASA will now promote and measure the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and monitor the resulting reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. ReFuelEU Aviation sets targets for minimum percentages of SAF to be used as a blend with jet fuel in flights from 2025. The first report on what is hoped to be increased SAF availability and use will be published in the fourth quarter of that year.
“Sustainable aviation fuels are currently the most promising solution to set air transport on a path to decarbonization and ReFuelEU is a milestone in promoting the uptake of SAF,” said Luc Tytgat, EASA’s acting executive director. “This legislation places EASA at the center of the drive to reduce aviation’s CO2 emissions. Assigning this task to EASA also sends the clear message that sustainability cannot come at the expense of safety in aviation. We must be sustainably safe.”
The aim is for 70 percent of all fuel supplied in European Union airports to be SAF by 2050. Of that, 35 percent would be synthetic aviation fuels that have greater potential to cut emissions. The scope of the new regulation covers at least 95 percent of all traffic departing European airports.
The parliament has also instructed the European air safety body to make the carbon-reduction measures transparent to European citizens through an environmental labeling scheme making clear the environmental impact of each flight. The idea behind this measure is so that passengers can make informed decisions if they wish to book flights with operators committed to reducing their climate change impact.
European aircraft operators will be able to opt in to provide operational data as part of the basis for calculating CO2 emissions. This data will then be verified by EASA.