EASA Publishes First Report On SAF Use In Europe

Fuel suppliers have reported that 0.6% of all aircraft fuel dispensed at European Union (EU) airports in 2024 was sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). EASA released this data yesterday as its baseline for SAF mandate targets as part of its first ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report.

For 2025, there is a mandatory target for 2% of all fuel to be SAF. According to the report, the SAF purchased, supplied, and used in the EU for all aircraft operators last year amounted to 193 kilotonnes, or 63.7 million gallons, which reduced carbon emissions by 714 kilotonnes. According to the ICAO CO2 calculator, that is equivalent to around 10,000 flights between Madrid and Paris.

According to EASA’s production capacity assessments, the EU is on track to meet the 6% SAF blending target in 2030. Synthetic fuels were not part of the reported SAF mix in 2024.

The report showed that the average price paid for SAF in the EU last year was €2,085 per tonne—the equivalent of about $6.91 per gallon. This was almost three times the equivalent €734-per-tonne price for jet-A.

In 2024, 25 fuel suppliers provided SAF at 33 EU airports in 12 EU member states. However, the market remains very concentrated, with airports in just five member states—France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Germany—accounted for 99% of all supplies.

Almost all SAF supplied in the EU last year was biofuel, mainly produced from used cooking oil (81%) and waste animal fats (17%). Just over two-thirds of feedstock originated from outside the EU, with China (38%) and Malaysia (12%) being the main suppliers, with Finland (10%) as the main source within Europe.

The 2024 report was based on input from 67% of aviation fuel suppliers and 74% of aircraft operators covered by the scope of the RefuelEU regulations. EASA said that it will need to achieve full reporting for 2025 to accurately assess rates of compliance with the SAF mandate.