Later Dubai Airshow (Dubai Airshow) which will be held this year from November 13 to 17, the actors of theaviation industry will take the opportunity to present their latest solutions to net zero emissions.
Global sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production capacity must exceed 30 billion liters by 2030 and 450 billion liters by 2050 for airlines to meet their net zero emissions goals. In 2020, SAF production was just 450 million liters, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), representing less than 0.05% of global jet fuel demand.
However, several initiatives are already underway in the Middle East region. Recently, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company signed an agreement with Airbus to support the development and growth of the global SAF market. The agreement will also see the entities collaborate on Green Hydrogen and Direct Air Capture technologies. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has signed an agreement with Shell to source 3,000 tonnes of pure SAF from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, making it the first carrier in the Middle East and Africa to acquire a large amount of SAF in Europe, beyond government SAF mandates.
Globally, Shell Aviation has signed several other agreements to supply SAF to airlines such as JetBlue and Japan Airlines (JAL), and Air BP, the specialist aviation division of multinational oil and gas company BP, the company announced. first sale of SAF from its Castellon refinery in Spain, marking another milestone in its efforts to make SAF more available.
Earlier this year, Dubai airline, Emirates, successfully completed a 100% SAF-powered demonstration flight on a Boeing 777-300ER, as part of its plans to help the global aviation industry achieve its carbon emissions targets. The airline has also earmarked $200 million to fund R&D on advanced fuel technologies that can reduce the environmental impact of commercial aviation.
Airbus President Africa and Middle East, Mikail Houari, underlined: At Airbus, we continue to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to leading the decarbonization journey in the aerospace industry through our pioneering role in the development of disruptive technologies. From hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to other sustainable engine and fuel solutions, our goals demonstrate the potential to revolutionize the way we fly. We relentlessly pursue our ambitions of building a more sustainable future for aviation as we seek to make our commercial fleet capable of flying 100% SAF by 2030 “.
Separately, American multinational Honeywell has launched a new technology called UOP eFining that produces low-carbon aviation fuel from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide captured by industry.
President and Managing Director of Honeywell Middle East and North Africa, Mohamed Mohaisen, said: Sustainable aviation fuel represents an immediate opportunity to drive sustainable growth in the aviation industry, but it is still barely tapped. Technologies capable of harnessing abundant amounts of CO2 to produce SAF are transforming the way we power aircraft and will play an important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the sector. That’s why we recently added UOP eFining to our existing Ecofining and ethanol-to-jet fuel portfolio, providing our customers with multiple pathways to SAF production through proven technology, and helping them meet the growing demand for renewable fuels Today “.
