A YEAR Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly a passenger plane across the Atlantic Ocean without directly burning fossil fuels, reports London's Canary Media.
Although the flight did indeed use '100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel,' the UK Advertising Standards Authority deemed the claim to be misleading.
One might assume that the fuel itself was '100 per cent sustainable' and thus had zero environmental impacts, the agency said in August, when it banned the ad in the country.
The anecdote illustrates a complicated reality about the bid to decarbonise air travel, which today represents nearly 2.5 per cent of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions.
Airlines are increasingly clamoring about SAF, both within the industry and in splashy advertising campaigns. But the exact definition of SAF remains confusing and contested.
Since aviation experts consider SAF to be the 'only viable solution' to decarbonize air travel in the near term - albeit not a perfect one - you can expect to start hearing this acronym a lot more often.
The Biden administration has invested heavily to build out a domestic SAF industry, and that trend is poised to continue during the second Trump administration.'There is bipartisan support for biofuels in general, and SAF will be able to take advantage of that,' said Alexander Laska, the deputy director for transportation and innovation at Third Way, a centre-left think tank.
'I think we're going to see that dynamic continue to play out over the next few years.'
So, with SAF on the rise, let's review some of the key details that passengers, investors, and other decision-makers should know about this squishy industry term.
'Sustainable aviation fuel' is an umbrella term for liquid fuels that are made without crude oil. These alternative fuels can 'drop in' to existing aircraft and engine fuel systems, distribution infrastructure, and storage facilities - unlike electric planes and hydrogen-fueled jets, which are in much earlier stages of development and would require airlines to overhaul operations.
Nearly all of the world's current SAF supply is made up of a certain type of biofuel: hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids, or HEFA, which can be derived from feedstocks such as virgin vegetable oils, animal fats, and used cooking oil. HEFA is one of seven fuel pathways approved for use by ASTM International, the aviation industry's standard-setter.
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Although the flight did indeed use '100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel,' the UK Advertising Standards Authority deemed the claim to be misleading.
One might assume that the fuel itself was '100 per cent sustainable' and thus had zero environmental impacts, the agency said in August, when it banned the ad in the country.
The anecdote illustrates a complicated reality about the bid to decarbonise air travel, which today represents nearly 2.5 per cent of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions.
Airlines are increasingly clamoring about SAF, both within the industry and in splashy advertising campaigns. But the exact definition of SAF remains confusing and contested.
Since aviation experts consider SAF to be the 'only viable solution' to decarbonize air travel in the near term - albeit not a perfect one - you can expect to start hearing this acronym a lot more often.
The Biden administration has invested heavily to build out a domestic SAF industry, and that trend is poised to continue during the second Trump administration.'There is bipartisan support for biofuels in general, and SAF will be able to take advantage of that,' said Alexander Laska, the deputy director for transportation and innovation at Third Way, a centre-left think tank.
'I think we're going to see that dynamic continue to play out over the next few years.'
So, with SAF on the rise, let's review some of the key details that passengers, investors, and other decision-makers should know about this squishy industry term.
'Sustainable aviation fuel' is an umbrella term for liquid fuels that are made without crude oil. These alternative fuels can 'drop in' to existing aircraft and engine fuel systems, distribution infrastructure, and storage facilities - unlike electric planes and hydrogen-fueled jets, which are in much earlier stages of development and would require airlines to overhaul operations.
Nearly all of the world's current SAF supply is made up of a certain type of biofuel: hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids, or HEFA, which can be derived from feedstocks such as virgin vegetable oils, animal fats, and used cooking oil. HEFA is one of seven fuel pathways approved for use by ASTM International, the aviation industry's standard-setter.
SeaNews Turkey
