Aviation sector issues an urgent call to accelerate policy action on Sustainable Aviation Fuels
17 July 2025
Brussels: The European aviation sector, represented by the DESTINATION 2050 partners*, together with fuel suppliers (Fuels Europe, Hydrogen Europe, Project SkyPower) and cargo and express delivery operators (European Cargo Alliance, European Express Association), today issued an urgent call for accelerated policy support to unlock the full decarbonisation potential of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).
The joint call highlights the pressing challenges of affordable SAF deployment across Europe. Chief amongst them is that the current SAF market remains nascent — HEFA‑based fuels (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) are the only commercially available option today and face a substantial cost gap compared to conventional kerosene. At the same time, next‑generation SAF pathways — such as e‑SAF and advanced biofuels — continue to struggle with access to investment, in particular in reaching Final Investment Decisions (FID).
In response, the industry has laid out a 10‑point action plan, designed to address early‑mover disadvantages and catalyse the scale‑up of SAF production and deployment. The plan lays out the key regulatory and financial measures needed to de‑risk investment, bridge the significant cost gap and incentivise innovation in fuel technologies critical to decarbonising air transport.
This call to action was handed over today to Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, during the Implementation Dialogue he convened to specifically address the ramp up of renewable and low‑carbon transport fuel production.
The initiative comes at a pivotal moment, as the European Commission prepares to unveil its Sustainable Transport Investment Plan in Q3 2025 — which is expected to finally provide the support needed to effectively accelerate and deploy SAF and related infrastructure.
Participating in the Implementation Dialogue, the ACI EUROPE President and CEO of Fraport, Stefan Schulte commented: “By setting SAF mandates, ReFuelEU Aviation provided the 'sticks' needed for legal certainty, but failed to provide the 'carrots' — namely, the financial incentives and flexibility mechanisms required to ensure SAF is produced at scale and at competitive prices. Today, the industry has come together to present a 10‑point plan to address this imbalance. It is now crucial that the Commission moves swiftly to create the supportive policy environment needed to develop Europe’s SAF market. Only then can we remain globally competitive and achieve our shared goal of net zero emissions by 2050.”
* A4E, ACI EUROPE, ASD, CANSO Europe, ERA
