Four of UK’s biggest airports pledge to ‘Back British SAF’
October 4, 2024
Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted airports are leading the charge for a new campaign to scale domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.
Bosses at the four UK air transport hubs were the first signatories to sign the ‘Back British SAF’ campaign. They are now urging other businesses and leaders across the sector to join them as they outlined that a British SAF industry will boost the economy by £1.8 billion by 2030 and create 60,000 new jobs by 2050.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s CEO commented: “We are working across the aviation industry to increase both demand and supply of SAF. Our fuelling infrastructure is SAF-ready, although airlines are hampered by limited availability. We encourage government to work with industry leaders to incentivise increased domestic production of SAF.”
Fast growing industry
The ‘Back British SAF’ campaign was launched by RISE – a coalition of 13 UK airlines, airports and fuel producers – in response to new legislation that will secure vital investment to develop the UK’s SAF industry. “The production of SAF is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet and demand will soon outstrip supply,” said a RISE spokesperson. “The US, the EU and countries across the Middle East and Asia Pacific are all ahead of the field in bringing forward measures to attract SAF investors to their shores. We need to act now or risk losing out altogether.”
With Britain’s ambitious target to have five SAF plants under construction by next year, the campaign is calling on government to bring forward its SAF Revenue Support Mechanism Bill, which will help reduce the risks of uncertain revenues and attract investment into UK SAF projects to scale SAF supply and demand.
SAF Mandate by 2025
With SAF integral to decarbonising air travel, the British government has outlined plans to introduce a SAF mandate in January 2025, starting at 2% of total UK jet fuel demand and increasing on a linear basis to 10% in 2030 and then to 22% in 2040. There is however currently no timetable for the introduction of its revenue support mechanism.
Underlining that Heathrow is committed to 11% SAF use by 2030, Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow said producing SAF in the UK is vital to making this happen. “We have proven price mechanisms work with our own SAF incentive scheme at Heathrow and we urge the government to bring forward the SAF bill quickly, before it is too late for the UK to benefit from the jobs, growth and energy security a homegrown SAF industry would bring.”
He was joined by Manchester’s CEO, Ken O’Toole, who added: “Bringing forward the SAF revenue support mechanism into law at the earliest opportunity would give investors the confidence they need to create a thriving, home grown SAF industry here in the UK that will create thousands of jobs and secure an affordable future of flying for passengers.”
