A new EU directive aims to ensure that CO₂ emissions in aviation are reduced by two thirds by 2050. To this end, more and more sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are to be added to conventional kerosene in the coming years. The EU Parliament and the Council have now agreed on this; they only have to formally adopt the new directive.
From 2025, 2 percent of sustainable fuel should initially be added in the EU, according to a statement by the EU Commission. By 2050, this proportion is set to rise to 70 percent. Airports must ensure that their fueling infrastructure is suitable for sustainable aviation fuels.
Not from forage plants
These sustainable fuels can be “recycled carbon fuels” or e-fuels. Biofuels are also allowed as long as they are not produced from food or feed crops, explains the Commission. The Renewable Energy Directive is decisive; this is now being revised.
The “ReFuelEU Aviation” directive for aviation fuels also stipulates that aircraft at EU airports may only fill up with as much fuel as is necessary for the flight. This is to avoid weight-related CO₂ emissions and “tankering”, the intentional taking of additional fuel to avoid having to refuel with sustainable fuels.
In the EU, this should not only reduce CO₂ emissions, but also create legal certainty for fuel producers. This would boost large-scale production of sustainable fuel in the EU and reduce dependence on energy products from third countries.
criticism of the aviation industry
The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) welcomes the guideline in principle. Replacing fossil kerosene with sustainable alternatives is an important tool alongside the use of energy-efficient aircraft. However, the sustainable fuels are up to five times more expensive than conventional fuels, which puts European airlines and airports at a disadvantage compared to non-European ones.
“SAF quotas do not apply to non-EU airlines at their non-EU hubs”, explains the BDL. “As a result, they can offer flights more cheaply and will be able to take over significant traffic flows that have so far flown through European hubs. Emissions are therefore not prevented, but only shifted.” The revision clause of the EU directive should be used to develop suitable instruments for 2027.
The aviation industry assumes that climate-neutral flying will be possible by 2050. This emerged in March of this year from their “Roadmap for climate-neutral flying”. In October 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO of the United Nations agreed on the year 2050 as the target for CO₂-neutral flying.
(anw)
