Airlines criticized for betting on alternative fuels

FARNBOROUGH, England — Airline executives at Britain’s Farnborough International Airshow are betting on the use of so-called sustainable aviation fuels to reduce their climate impact, saying the technology is already available and can eventually be scaled up to help the industry reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Campaigners are urging them to “get real,” however, dismissing the plans as “completely unrealistic” on current growth pathways. Instead, demand management measures are seen as the most effective way for the aviation industry to reduce its near-term climate impact.

That comes as leaders in the aerospace and defense industry gather in extreme heat at the Farnborough International Airshow, the U.K.’s first major air show since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

The five-day trade exhibition, which began on Monday, has seen thousands of attendees gather in southern England to discuss the future of aviation.

Compared with other sectors, aviation is a relatively small contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is recognized as one of the fastest-growing — and the number of flights is expected to grow at an alarming rate over the coming decades.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/19/private-jet-use-is-more-popular-than-ever-and-first-time-buyers-are-driving-record-sales.htmlIf aviation is to align itself with the landmark Paris climate accord and curb global heating, the industry will need to move away from fossil fuels completely in the long term.

One of the ways that the sector is seeking to replace conventional fossil jet fuel is by exploring the use of sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF.

Chris Raymond, chief sustainability officer at Boeing, believes SAF will be a “necessary component” in helping the industry get to net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. “It’s not a bridge,” Raymond said at a press briefing on Monday. “SAF is required. It’s SAF and whatever else we can do.”

Reflecting on Boeing’s outlook for SAF through to 2050, Raymond said, “These pathways to make these fuels will get better and cleaner as there’s more renewable electricity [and] as the hydrogen source becomes more renewable because we’re making it more often with electrolysis and renewable energy grids.”

“This is a spectrum that is driving great innovation right now — and it is all SAF,” Raymond said. “Think of it as the early days of SAF all the way to the hypothetical pure [power-to-liquid) SAF, made with nothing but green hydrogen from renewable electricity and direct air carbon capture.”

Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF, are energy sources “made from renewable raw material,” according to aircraft maker Airbus. It says the most common feedstocks “are crops based or used cooking oil and animal fat.”

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