SINGAPORE is ready to switch to sustainable aviation fuel, but more support is needed for upscaling.

This is after completion of a 20-month pilot by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Temasek-backed investment platform GenZero and Singapore Airlines (SIA).

“The pilot found that while Singapore is operationally ready to supply sustainable aviation fuel, more is needed to support adoption,” said the three parties on Thursday (Nov 2).

CAAS highlighted that it would incorporate the learnings from the pilot, which is an essential part to create a long-term, secured sustainable aviation fuel supply ecosystem for the Republic, into the development of the sustainable air hub blueprint.

On an operational aspect, the pilot validated the process to bring sustainable aviation fuel into Changi Airport.

The end-to-end process includes procurement, blending of neat sustainable aviation fuel with conventional jet fuel, as well as the safety certification and delivery of the blended sustainable aviation fuel.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 12.30 pm

ESG Insights

An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues.

Sign Up

“The pilot affirmed that sustainable aviation fuel can be safely deployed to Changi Airport and uplifted onto flights without any modification to existing airport infrastructure,” the parties said.

The pilot also demonstrated how sustainable aviation fuel credits can be generated and transacted to corporates seeking decarbonisation.

Under the pilot, SIA purchased 1,000 tonnes of neat sustainable aviation fuel which generated 1,000 sustainable aviation fuel credits, corresponding to about 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide reductions.

About two-thirds of the 1,000 credits were sold during the pilot, showing healthy market demand for sustainable aviation fuel credits.

While the credit transactions under the pilot laid the foundation for a trustworthy global marketplace, it showed that more support in education, outreach, and corporate and government policy is needed to upscale the adoption.

Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS, highlighted the important role of sustainable aviation fuel for the aviation industry to achieve net zero in 2050, and said that CAAS is developing a “structural offtake mechanism” to support sustainable aviation fuel adoption.

“This will take into account developments elsewhere in the world, including discussions at the upcoming third International Civil Aviation Organization Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels,” he added.