The world aviation body proposes to launch an SAF registry to encourage airlines to embrace SAF as a fuel of choice
Even as the volume of air travel soars, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has highlighted India's substantial potential for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which can help the country considerably cut carbon emissions. For India to achieve this, it needs to increase its production of SAF from 0.5 million tonnes in 2023 multifold.
The IATA has committed to launching an SAF Registry by 2025 to encourage the uptake of this eco-friendly fuel by authoritatively accounting and reporting emissions reduced from the use of SAF.
Various entities have welcomed the development of the SAF Registry, including seventeen airlines, one airline group, six national authorities, three Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and one fuel producer.
Domestic carriers are rapidly augmenting their fleets to meet rising air traffic demand in India, which is among the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets. As of now, around 140 SAF projects are up and running across 31 countries, IATA said.
Just for an idea of the scale of the task ahead, the world would have to increase production of SAF by 1,000 times from the 2023 level to reach the desirable target of 500 million tonnes by 2050.