Press release

Aviation sector issues an urgent call to accelerate policy action on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Brussels
,
17 July 2025
Brussels, 17 July 2025: The European aviation sector, represented by the DESTINATION 2050 partners[A4E, ACI EUROPE, ASD, CANSO Europe, ERA], together with fuel suppliers (Fuels Europe, Hydrogen Europe, Project SkyPower) and cargo and express delivery operators (European Cargo Alliance, European Express Association), today issued an urgent call for accelerated policy support to unlock the full decarbonisation potentia…

The European aviation sector, represented by the DESTINATION 2050 partners[A4E, ACI EUROPE, ASD, CANSO Europe, ERA], together with fuel suppliers (Fuels Europe, Hydrogen Europe, Project SkyPower) and cargo and express delivery operators (European Cargo Alliance, European Express Association), today issued an urgent call for accelerated policy support to unlock the full decarbonisation potential of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

The joint call highlights the pressing challenges of affordable SAF deployment across Europe. Chief amongst them is that the current SAF market remains nascent — HEFA‑based fuels (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) are the only commercially available option today and face a substantial cost gap compared to conventional kerosene. At the same time, next‑generation SAF pathways — such as e‑SAF and advanced biofuels — continue to struggle with access to investment, in particular in reaching Final Investment Decisions (FID).

In response, the industry has laid out a 10‑point action plan, designed to address early‑mover disadvantages and catalyse the scale‑up of SAF production and deployment. The plan lays out the key regulatory and financial measures needed to de‑risk investment, bridge the significant cost gap and incentivise innovation in fuel technologies critical to decarbonising air transport.

This call to action was handed over today to Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, during the Implementation Dialogue he convened to specifically address the ramp up of renewable and low‑carbon transport fuel production.

The initiative comes at a pivotal moment, as the European Commission prepares to unveil its Sustainable Transport Investment Plan in Q3 2025 — which is expected to finally provide the support needed to effectively accelerate and deploy SAF and related infrastructure.

Notes to Editor

Access the Aviation Industry Call for Policy Action on SAF here.

Media contacts

ACI EUROPE
Agata Lyznik, Director of Communications and Media
Email: agata.lyznik@aci-europe.org
Phone: +32 2 552 09 89

ASD
Adrian Schmitz, Communications Director
Email: adrian.schmitz@asd-europe.org
Phone: +32 473 13 33 30

CANSO Europe
Johnny Pring, Manager Europe Policy and Advocacy
Email: johnny.pring@canso.org
Phone: +32 493 53 61 24

ERA
Becky Warburton, Editor Corporate Communications
Email: becky.warburton@eraa.org
Phone: +44 1276 485582

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