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Mix in continued travel demand and growth that may increase 17% for America-Europe travel and up to 61% for travel within Asia by 2030, according to Bain & Company, balancing the rate of technological development of SAF, availability and any incentives, reaching IATA’s net zero goals start to seem like moon shots.
At a recent IATA meeting, Qatar’s CEO, Akbar Al Baker, criticized IATA’s Net Zero commitments as “a PR exercise” and doubted the ability of IATA to comply with their 2030 and 2050 goals.
Kenneth Quinn, an aviation lawyer and general counsel to the Flight Safety Foundation, penned an editorial in re- sponse to Baker’s criticism by outlining many challenges facing aviation’s net zero goals. He stressed the importance of ambitious industry collaboration and government invest- ment at scales similar to President Kennedy’s lunar program.
Neste’s VP of Renewable Aviation Americas, Michael Sergeant, shared that the industry will invest more if policy shows more significant long-term commitments beyond broad initiatives such as the SAF Grand Challenge.
Financial incentives such as the US’s Biomass- based Diesel Blender’s Tax Credit provided under the Inflation Reduction Act offer a $1.25 base credit per gallon of SAF. Still, this incentive expires in 2024, replaced by the Clean Fuel Production Credit, which places increased requirements like domestic production, lowers potential credit, and will only be available until 2027. The critical role of SAF in decarbonization necessitates sustained and longer-term governmental support and incentives to achieve the prescribed quotas.
Price-at-the-pump challenges must also be addressed, with the total cost of greenhouse gas emissions and their impacts factored in. While the fuel at the pump, say in Texas, might be cheap when comparing conventional jet fuel to SAF, the social costs and impacts of continuing to use fossil fuels are not accounted for.
As the world grapples with increasingly severe climate challenges, the aviation industry’s strides towards sustain- ability are commendable. However, the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains a pressing concern. Time will be the ultimate judge of whether our efforts will be enough to make a meaningful impact in averting the worst consequences of climate change. We must continue to push for further advancements in sustainable aviation fuels and commit to ambitious collaborative actions to safeguard our planet’s future.
Covington
ttps://www.covingtonaircraftengines.com
Tigre Pickett is a commercial single- and multi-engine pilot type rated in the Citation 525-series jets. With his father and Co-Captain, Rich Pickett, Tigre manages multiple CitationJets in southern California. Tigre has a passion for aviation and loves to fly various aircraft, exploring new destinations with his family in their Cessna Turbo 206. You can follow his excit- ing journey as a professional pilot alongside Captain Pickett on their YouTube channel and find more aviation content on PersonalWings.com.
October 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 15