European Aviation Industry Urges Support for e-SAF Production in Clean Industrial Deal
Key Ideas
  • The Project SkyPower coalition, supported by 70+ companies, calls for EU support to kick-start e-SAF industry with policy interventions.
  • EU Sustainable Transport Commissioner plans to introduce pricing support mechanism for e-fuels to boost sustainable aviation.
  • European e-SAF industry could create 20,000 jobs, attract investment, and help cut 400 million tonnes of global CO2e emissions by 2050.
  • Calls for recycling EU ETS revenues, establishment of a bridging mechanism, and long-term certainty to accelerate e-SAF production at scale.
The European aviation industry, represented by stakeholders like airlines, airports, fuel producers, and NGOs, is urging the European Commission for priority support in the domestic production of e-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (e-SAF). The Project SkyPower coalition, backed by over 70 companies, has outlined key policy interventions to jumpstart the e-SAF industry before the Commission's Clean Industrial Deal release. The EU Sustainable Transport Commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has expressed plans for a pricing support mechanism for e-fuels to drive sustainable aviation growth. The coalition envisions that a thriving European e-SAF industry could significantly contribute to the energy transition, enhance energy security, attract investments into the chemical sector, create thousands of jobs, and capture a share of the lucrative global market while reducing CO2 emissions. Their proposals include using EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) revenues to bridge price gaps, establishing a funding instrument for first movers, and ensuring long-term certainty for e-SAF mandates and production criteria. Leading figures in the aviation industry, like KLM's CEO Marjan Rintel and SAS CEO Anko van der Werff, emphasize the need for urgent policy frameworks to scale up e-SAF production and align with climate goals. Project SkyPower co-chair Amy Hebert stresses the importance of EU leadership in the global e-SAF market, calling for immediate action to create a conducive regulatory environment and provide incentives to unlock investments for e-SAF projects. On a parallel front, the Skies and Seas Hydrogen-fuels Accelerator Coalition (SASHA), with e-SAF producer members from Project SkyPower, has put forth recommendations in a position paper ahead of the Clean Industrial Deal announcement. The industry's collective push for policy support underscores the sector's commitment to sustainable aviation and the pivotal role of e-SAF in achieving environmental targets.
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