The UK government has signed its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate into law and also launched a new Jet Zero Taskforce.
Set to come into force on 1 January 2025, the SAF mandate would require 2% of all jet fuel to come from sustainable sources, increasing to 22% by 2040, the Department for Transport (DfT) said on its website on 25 November.
Launching the Jet Zero Taskforce to tackle aviation emissions on 25 November, Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh said: “We need to make flying a cleaner, greener experience and the new and improved Jet Zero Taskforce will be the driving force behind this transition.”
Involving an annual CEO-level meeting chaired by the Transport Secretary to set priorities for the taskforce and review progress, members of the taskforce will include the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds; Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband; CEOs of major airlines, such as easyJet and Virgin; airports like Heathrow and Manchester; fuel producers; trade bodies and leading universities.
Building on the work of the Jet Zero Council, the taskforce would support SAF production and delivery and zero emission flights, as well as look at how to improve aviation systems to make them more efficient, the DfT said.
In addition, the DfT said the taskforce would explore the sector’s demand for greenhouse gas (GHG) removals and the non-CO2 impacts of aviation, such as vapour trails left in the sky, to account for the sector’s overall environmental impact.
Meanwhile, the Dft has also invested up to £450,000 (US$570,000) to support aviation decarbonisation measures in other countries, such as helping developing states develop policy and access financing for SAF, as well as to offset carbon emissions from international flights.
The move followed the UK’s new target to reduce emissions by 81% by 2035, set at COP29 in Azerbaijan.
