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48 | BU S INE S S A I R P O R T INT E RNAT I ONA L J U L Y 2 0 1 9
“The product is good for everyone
and we’re in a far better position
to leverage these fuels. We work for
corporations that are keen to do the right
thing, some will use sustainable fuel to support their
sustainability initiatives and are less sensitive to price.”
Charles Etter, head of environmental and regulatory
affairs and technical fellow from Gulfstream, agrees that
business aviation is less sensitive to price fluctuations
than commercial aviation and adds that the initial lower
rates of production for SAJF also suit the business
aviation sector better: “The amount of SAJF
refineries can initially produce is better
suited to business aviation. There is an
opportunity for business aviation to
take a leadership role in the roll out
of SAJF.”
Supply and demand
World Fuel Services has
supported the distribution of
SAJF since 2015. Szczechowski
says, “We’ve delivered 14 million
gallons to operators. It is jet
fuel. There is a standard blend of
70/30 in our products. It’s not some
different product that needs to be
handled differently, it’s just fuel.
“It’s sourced differently, but once we
have the product, the distribution follows the
“We want
same path as all other jet fuel. The challenge partially
is the blending process, which we prefer to happen at
the refinery – then it just enters the supply chain. As the
process matures, distribution will be seamless.”
Another early supplier of SAJF is Air BP. The company
invested US$30 million in biofuel-from-waste developer
Fulcrum BioEnergy in 2016. It has also been supplying
The aviation sector is one
of the fastest growing
sources of greenhouse
gas emissions,
contributing around
2% of the world’s
global emissions. This is set to increase as
the industry grows over the coming decades.
By 2037 trade body IATA predicts there will
be 8.2 billion passenger flights a year. This
growth is mirrored in the business aviation
sector. Both the NBAA and EBAA predict strong
growth in traffic for business aviation over the next
ten years.
The business aviation industry has recognized
the need for action on climate change since 2009, when
the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the
International Business Aviation Council announced a series
of aspirational goals for the industry to reduce carbon
emissions. The two bodies committed to carbon-neutral
growth, improvements in fuel efficiency and a 50% reduction
in CO2 emissions by 2050, relative to 2005.
During the last ten years, it has become apparent that
the most effective way of reducing business aviation’s
carbon emissions is for the sector to phase out fossil fuels
and adopt sustainably-sourced biofuels to as great an
extent as possible.
Taking the initiative
Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel (SAJF) is the general term
used to describe non-petroleum jet fuel, or the blended
components that are mixed with a mainly petroleum-based
fuel. This is sometimes called biojet, biokerosene or
alternative jet.
Significant progress has been made developing SAJF
and the standards that apply to it. The job is now to
increase production capacity and introduce the fuel widely.
To this end, a coalition of fuel suppliers and business
aviation operators launched a cross-sector initiative last
year. The SAJF coalition aims to encourage the rest of the
industry to take a leadership role on the introduction of
sustainable biofuel into business aviation operations.
Speaking at a meeting about SAJF held at the EBACE
conference in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this year, Mike
Szczechowski, senior vice president of business aviation
sales at World Fuel Services said, “Early investment from
the speciality refiners and defense agencies has been
vital in creating sustainable jet fuel. The initial R&D has
been done, but there is still a lot of investment needed to
increase production capacity.
Top: TAG Farnborough hosted
the Fuelling the Future
event before in the EBACE
conference in May this year
Above: The event showcased
the use of sustainable
alternative jet fuel
aircraft OEMs to
request SAJF. Demand
from fuel suppliers
and FBOs will led
to a production
increase”
T