Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has become a cornerstone of the aviation industry’s decarbonization strategy—and for good reason. SAF is projected to deliver up to 65% of the total carbon emissions reduction needed for the sector to reach net zero by 2050. It represents the single most impactful lever available to airlines today.
Yet progress remains indifferent. Global SAF production reached approximately 1 million tonnes in 2024, doubling from 2023 but falling short of the 1.5 million tonne projection. Despite sounding substantial, this accounts for just 0.3% of global jet fuel consumption. Expectations for 2025 remain modest, with projected output rising to 2.1 million tonnes, or merely 0.7% of total jet fuel demand.
That said, such aggregate numbers obscure important distinctions across the industry. According to Transport & Environment, only 10 of 77 airlines it studied are making meaningful strides in SAF adoption. These include Air France-KLM, United Airlines, Norwegian, and IAG Group, the parent company of British Airways, which is working toward its 10% SAF use target by 2030 through purchase agreements with e-SAF providers Infinium and Twelve.
Meanwhile, the remaining airlines in their study are either procuring too little SAF, excluding it from their decarbonization strategies, or worse—investing in the wrong kinds. Over 30% of global SAF output comes from crop-based biofuels like corn grain and soy oil, which are environmentally and ethically contentious. In contrast, e-kerosene—the most sustainable, scalable form of SAF made from renewable electricity, according to Transport & Environment—represents only 10% of production. This misalignment points to a fundamental barrier: most airlines lack sustainability expertise, and significant market education is still needed.
Policy remains the strongest catalyst. British Airways, for example, benefits from the UK’s SAF Mandate, which requires SAF to comprise 2% of jet fuel in 2025, rising to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040. Under this mandate, producers receive tradable SAF certificates with monetary value—creating a financial incentive to scale supply. The lesson is clear: company goals, while commendable, are not enough. Regulatory mandates and market-based incentives are essential to drive industry-wide adoption.
Globally, SAF policies vary widely in scope and ambition. The European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation mandates a 2% SAF blend starting in 2025, progressively increasing to 70% by 2050 for all flights departing EU airports. In the United States, the federal government has set an ambitious target of 100% SAF usage by 2050, supported by a $1.25 per gallon tax credit and additional incentives to spur production and adoption.
Singapore, as part of its Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint, will require a 1% SAF blend by 2026, with a goal of reaching 3 to 5% by 2030. This initiative is partially financed through a SAF levy applied to air ticket sales. Japan, meanwhile, has set a national target of 10% SAF use by 2030 and is investing in emerging technologies such as alcohol-to-jet fuel and synthetic e-fuels to meet that goal. In China, a SAF pilot program launched in 2024 with major airlines is expected to expand in 2025, aligning with the country’s broader carbon neutrality objective set for 2060.
These national policies are shaping airline behavior. American Airlines, for instance, is targeting 10% SAF by 2030, aligned with the U.S. net-zero goal for 2050. Others are going beyond national mandates: Singapore Airlines is targeting 5% SAF usage by 2030, the upper limit of the government’s 3 to 5% target range.
While global SAF production is still finding its footing, Israel is taking active steps to join the effort. Earlier this year, the Israel Innovation Authority launched a national SAF consortium, committing over 100 million shekels to support R&D and scale-up of local SAF production from renewable and waste-derived feedstocks — including used cooking oil, municipal waste, forestry residues, and recycled plastics.
Alongside this endeavor, the Technion’s iSAF Knowledge Center, developed in partnership with Boeing, is leading academic research and industry collaboration on next-generation aviation fuels. The center brings together expertise from multiple Israeli universities and aims to position Israel as both a knowledge hub and a future supplier of SAF solutions.
On the policy front, the Ministry of Energy has begun outlining a national framework for SAF adoption, with the goal of ensuring local supply availability and supporting Israeli airlines in meeting upcoming international mandates like CORSIA and ReFuelEU.
Israel’s innovation ecosystem — known for its strength in biotech, clean energy, and waste-to-value technologies — has the potential to play a meaningful role in closing the SAF gap, not just locally but as part of the global aviation value chain.
While the world lacks a definitive blueprint for the fastest path to aviation decarbonization, Earth Month 2025 offers a timely moment to pause and reflect on the path ahead. Beyond the publicity, the data is unambiguous: SAF is the industry’s most powerful lever for emissions reduction—yet it remains dramatically underutilized.
Airlines must move past symbolic gestures and shallow commitments. True progress will require not only greater adoption of high-integrity SAF like e-kerosene, but also stronger regulatory mandates and smarter market incentives. With the right alignment of policy, innovation, and industry resolve, aviation can finally achieve liftoff toward a net-zero future.
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