IATA: SAF production should reach 69 billion liters in 2028

IATA is positive there will be enough facilities in 2028 to produce 69 billion liters or 55 million tonnes of renewable fuel to make sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). As of June, the airline association has identified 130 global projects, up from 61 projects IATA identified a year ago. This could grow as new initiatives emerge, IATA said during a presentation on the final day of the Annual General Meeting in Istanbul. IATA: SAF production should reach 69 billion liters in 2028.

In 2022, only 300 million liters or 240.000 tonnes of SAF was produced, while global jet fuel demand was 254 metric tons. So only 0.1 percent SAF was available to the airline industry. “Zero point one percent is virtually nothing,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President of Sustainability & Chief Economist. The plan is that there should be enough SAF to provide about 62 percent of the carbon mitigation needed in 2050. This translates into 449 billion liters.