Why your holiday flight is still not being powered by sustainable aviation fuel

As you wait in the departure lounge for your flight this summer, you may notice your aeroplane being pumped full of fuel ahead of takeoff. And then you may start to wonder why flying is still so dependent on fossil fuels^[1], and whether you should have booked a holiday destination that’s accessible by a more environmentally friendly form of transport.

So what happened to plans for so-called sustainable aviation fuel? Wasn’t it supposed to be the “game changer”^[2] that would make flying a much greener travel option than it used to be?

Clearly, the move to adopt the technology is facing difficulties. One problem seems to be that there simply isn’t enough sustainable fuel^[3] to go around.

But the business side of the process is also holding back sustainable fuel uptake.

Research my colleagues and I conducted in 2021 revealed a deeply fragmented^[4] landscape at pretty much every step of sustainable fuel development. There are obstacles everywhere, blocking the paths of the producers developing these fuels, the airlines who might use them and the governmental and campaign groups pushing for change.

Everyone seems to agree that sustainable fuel matters. They just don’t all agree about how to really get it off the ground.

Our findings demonstrate that producers, for instance, were understandably focused on more research and development to improve efficient production. They were also worried that scaling up facilities could disrupt production that is already in place.

Airlines meanwhile, are grappling with the economics of moving to sustainable fuel, which is around three to ten times more expensive than conventional fuel. Right now, a litre of conventional aviation fuel costs^[5] around £0.96 per litre in the UK – for sustainable aviation fuel it’s around £1.97. (Depending on the length of the journey and the size of the engine, a plane could need around 13,000 litres per hour of flying.)

They spoke about inconsistent supply (especially at major airports), and the need for clearer regulations and incentives across the industry.

“Cost is clearly the most important driver,” one airline executive told us, explaining that dealing with those costs would ultimately depend on passenger demand for greener travel – and how willing those passengers are to pay a premium for sustainable fuel.

Distribution companies that take the sustainable fuel where it needs to go, have found themselves struggling to navigate the complexities of an emerging supply chain. They spoke of the logistical challenges of transporting and storing sustainable fuel, and a lack of clear communication between producers and airlines.

They saw themselves as a crucial part of the sustainable aviation fuel puzzle, but were concerned about investing in logistics and infrastructure without guaranteed demand.

Elsewhere, politicians and climate campaigners tend to view the adoption of sustainable fuel from a broader perspective, stressing the urgency of action on climate change. Their thinking is dominated by environmental strategy and sustainable aviation fuel regulation.

But here, trust becomes an issue. Some of those involved with sustainable fuel development said they doubted government promises to support the sector over the long term. Others are cynical about whether airlines will really prioritise climate action over their very tight profit margins^[6].

So sustainable fuel inspires plenty of different viewpoints and concerns. But one common thread was an overwhelming concern about cost and scale of production.

Aside from being far more expensive than fossil-based jet fuel, building enough production facilities to make more will require billions of pounds of investment.

The big question is who will foot the bill.

Some of this will need to be tax funded. For if the UK wants to become a leader in the use of sustainable aviation fuel, as the government says^[8] it does, it needs more than ambitious targets. It needs to start making things happen.

And our research suggests that the industry as a whole would benefit from some certainty to encourage investment right across the supply chain. Without a clear and stable regulatory framework, everyone will remain hesitant about committing significant resources to sustainable fuel.

Collaboration between the key players could also be improved, with a better dialogue between those in the industry and regulators, potentially leading to a shared vision for the future of sustainable aviation fuel.

That future is by no means doomed. Major commercial airlines like Air France-KLM, IAG (British Airways) and United Airlines in the US are working with sustainable fuel producers around the world.

But while the desire to decarbonise aviation seems clear, the path forward is not straightforward. It is a complex picture of politics, economics, trust and differing priorities.

By navigating this turbulence wisely, the sustainable fuel sector can be part of a broader flight path to net zero. But if managed poorly, targets to dramatically increase its use will remain elusive.

References

1. ^{^} so dependent on fossil fuels (theconversation.com)
2. ^{^} “game changer” (www.theguardian.com)
3. ^{^} isn’t enough sustainable fuel (theconversation.com)
4. ^{^} revealed a deeply fragmented (www.sciencedirect.com)
5. ^{^} aviation fuel costs (www.oxfordairport.co.uk)
6. ^{^} very tight profit margins (www.financialexpress.com)
7. ^{^} Bulent camci/Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com)
8. ^{^} the government says (www.gov.uk)