SAF Production Volumes Still Disappointing

June 09, 2026

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(International Air Transport Association) The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released estimates showing that global Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production is expected to reach around 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, representing just 0.8% of aviation fuel use, at a cost to airlines of $4.3 billion.

“It looks to be another disappointing year for SAF production. Five years after committing to achieve net zero by 2050, SAF production will only account for 0.8% of airline fuel use this year. The path to meeting 65% of our needs in 2050 is growing more difficult with each year of ineffectively sequenced government policies and oil companies’ manifest lack of interest. The current energy shock should add even more urgency to the development of renewables, including SAF. But we have yet to see either the energy shock, the need to develop energy independence and jobs, or the urgency to mitigate climate change materialize in the incentives needed to create a viable SAF market,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

To accelerate the scale-up of SAF, IATA is calling for coordinated action across four priorities:

Expand renewable energy supply to underpin SAF production and ensure sufficient feedstocks and clean energy are available.
Ensure open access to fuel infrastructure, including pipelines, storage, and airport fuel systems, to enable fair competition and efficient distribution.
Strengthen policy support through effective sequencing of production incentives and investment frameworks that provide certainty and reduce risk before any mandates are imposed.
Enable a global SAF market with sufficient volumes at commercially viable prices critical for the airline financial and economic sustainability. A book-and-claim system is essential to transform the SAF market from local to global by making it accessible to airlines and SAF producers regardless of their domicile. A global SAF market must also be supported by harmonized standards that create enduring rules and fair competition.

The e-SAF Problem

Along with SAF (from biofuel sources), e-SAF (electro-SAF) will also play a growing role in air transport’s decarbonization. The conversion of renewable electricity using a power-to-liquid (PtL) process can produce e-SAF. E-SAF does not require biomass or waste oils, but does require large amounts of renewable electricity, green hydrogen, water, and CO2.

The EU and the UK have mandated e-SAF production of around 0.6 million tonnes by 2030. However, global production capacity currently operating and under construction stands at around 0.02 million tonnes with only one single production site in operation. It would take approximately 20 commercial-scale refineries to achieve the mandated volume. Moreover, no new final investment decisions for e-SAF facilities have been made over the past year.

“The 2030 e-SAF targets by the UK and the EU are beyond unrealistic – they are utterly detached from reality. It is a reckless energy market creation strategy to impose mandates before production is enabled. Such a strategy will only drive up the price. Coupled with penalties, it diverts scarce resources from being allocated to actual CO2 emissions reductions. The strategy is also bewildering given that Europe has the highest renewable energy prices in the world. A serious strategy would first scale renewable energy production to drive its price down and build the e-SAF production capacity on sound economics. Only at that point can mandates achieve the desired results,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist.

Passenger Support for Decarbonization

The latest IATA passenger survey (April 2026) shows strong and consistent support for decarbonizing air transport. 89% of passengers believe the industry should continue reducing emissions even if governments scale back their efforts, and a similar share sees flying as essential and as something that must be made sustainable, rather than restricting its use.

This support is backed by a willingness to act: about two-thirds of passengers (66%) say they are willing to pay more to compensate for emissions, and nearly 88% expect ticket prices to rise as a result of sustainability investments.

Passengers also clearly favor “real” decarbonization solutions, with 25% prioritizing the use of funds for SAF and 23% for emissions-reduction technologies, far ahead of taxes (10%).

Importantly, sustainability is already influencing behavior: nearly half of travelers (48%) look at carbon emissions when choosing flights, and among those who do, over 85% say it affects their decision, while around three-quarters say they prefer airlines with stronger environmental performance.

Overall, the data points to a clear message: passengers expect air transport to decarbonize, are broadly supportive of the transition, and increasingly factor sustainability into their choices, even if cost and convenience remain important.

> Learn more on SAF

IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents over 370 airlines accounting for some 85% of global air traffic. READ MORE

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Excerpt from U.S. Energy Information Administration: .. Weekly estimates suggest U.S. jet fuel production has increased to record highs in response to elevated jet fuel prices after the Strait of Hormuz closed on February 28. Higher crude oil prices and supply concerns, particularly in Europe and Asia, which previously imported much of their jet fuel supply from the Persian Gulf, have driven up jet fuel prices. Much of the increased U.S. jet fuel production is being exported, as domestic inventories remain above average.

U.S. jet fuel production has increased since February 28 when the four-week average production was 1.7 million barrels per day (b/d). In the week ending May 1, the four-week average estimate of U.S. jet fuel production surpassed 2.0 million b/d for the first time on record. The increased production reflects both above-average refinery runs and strategic shifts to increase jet fuel yields.

U.S. refiners have been maximizing jet fuel production to take advantage of high jet fuel prices and margins. From March through May, U.S. Gulf Coast Jet Fuel Spot prices averaged $3.91 per gallon (gal), about double the price at the start of the year and higher than the regional spot prices for both gasoline and diesel fuel. The jet fuel crack spread on the U.S. Gulf Coast, an indicator of the profitability of refining crude oil into jet fuel in the region, averaged $1.25/gal in the same period, up from $0.42/gal at the start of the year. Jet fuel prices at other major global trading hubs—such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp (ARA) and Singapore—also averaged about double their start-of-year prices from March to May and had higher jet fuel crack spreads.

Jet fuel prices in Europe and Asia traded at significant premiums to the U.S. Gulf Coast in March and April, attracting sources to replace imports from the Middle East. In response to the price increases abroad, weekly estimates based on transactional trade data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicate U.S. jet fuel exports reached record highs in April and May. Jet fuel prices in Europe and Asia are now closer to U.S. Gulf Coast prices, and prices are lower than their April peaks in all three regions as concerns of an imminent jet fuel shortage have eased.

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Despite increased export demand, jet fuel inventories in the United States have remained above average. U.S. jet fuel inventories as of May 29 totaled 45 million barrels, 7% above the 2021–2025 average. Inventories in the U.S. West Coast, the U.S. region that relies most heavily on jet fuel imports, also remain above average. However, if the recent decline in imports to the West Coast continues, the region may need to increase draws from inventories. READ MORE