ICAO conference tries to move forward on SAF

On Wednesday, Emirates operated a 38-minute flight out of Dubai International Airport and back with an Airbus A380 flying on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). While a world’s first that generated some good publicity for the airline, the special flight must be seen in a wider context. At the same time, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was having the third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) in Dubai. The conference should produce new and concrete steps for the introduction of more SAF.

CAAF/3, which follows a week after the Dubai Airshow and precedes next week’s global COP28 conference at the former Dubai Expo venue, was already announced in October last year during the ICAO 41st Assembly

. Back then, the 193 member states unanimously agreed on a long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) to get aviation to net zero in 2050.