Dec 3 (Reuters) - Most of the world's airlines are not
doing enough to switch to sustainable jet fuel, according to a
study by Brussels-based advocacy group Transport and
Environment, which also found too little investment by oil
producers in the transition.
The comments come as the airline sector calls for more
production of the fuel, which can be made from materials such as
wood chips and used cooking oil.
"Unfortunately, airlines at the moment are not on the
trajectory to have meaningful emissions reduction because
they're not buying enough sustainable aviation fuel," Transport
and Environment aviation policy manager Francesco Catte said.
As it stands, SAF makes up about 1% of aviation fuel use on
the global market, which needs to increase for airlines to meet
carbon emission reduction targets. The fuel can cost between two
to five times more than regular jet fuel.
A lack of investment by major oil players, who have the
capital to build SAF processing facilities, is hampering the
market's growth, the study says.
In its ranking, Transport and Environment pointed to Air
France-KLM, United Airlines and Norwegian
as some of the airlines that have taken tangible steps
to buy sustainable jet fuel, particularly its synthetic, cleaner
burning version.
But 87% are failing to make meaningful efforts, the ranking
shows, and even those who are trying could miss their own
targets without more investment.
Airlines such as Italy's ITA Airways and Portugal's TAP have
done very little to secure SAF in the coming years, the ranking
shows.
A TAP spokesperson said the airline was the first to fly in
Portugal with SAF in July 2022, "and is committed to flying with
10% SAF in 2030".
ITA Airways did not respond to a Reuters request for
comment.
(Additional reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Jan
Harvey)