Latest news with #SustainableAviationFuel
Egypt Today
7 hours ago
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt talks cooperation in aviation safety programs at AFI Aviation Week
Air Crafts - cc CAIRO - 31 May 2025: On the sidelines of Africa Aviation Week 2025 (AFI Aviation Week) in Zimbabwe, Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation, Dr. Sameh El-Hefny, held a series of high-level bilateral meetings aimed at deepening international cooperation in civil aviation. A key engagement featured an expanded session with Boeing officials, led by Kayode "Kay" Ariwudola, Boeing's Director of Global Safety and Regulatory Affairs for the Middle East and Africa. The meeting was also attended by Captain Amr El-Sharkawy, Chairman of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority. Discussions focused on advancing aviation safety and fostering sustainable aviation practices. Key topics included the integration of carbon-reduction technologies and the increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Both sides underscored the importance of aligning with international safety standards while enhancing regulatory and technical capacities to ensure optimal safety in the sector. The talks aligned with Egypt's broader national strategy, which emphasizes sustainable development and the implementation of environmental standards across all sectors, including air transport. Dr. El-Hefny reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to transforming Egypt's aviation industry through environmentally conscious practices, including the adoption of clean fuels and the modernization of aviation infrastructure in line with global sustainability benchmarks. Highlighting Egypt's potential as a regional leader in green aviation technologies, Dr. El-Hefny emphasized the Ministry's efforts to attract high-quality investments by fostering a supportive business climate. He noted that Egypt is eager to leverage international expertise in environmental innovation to further its sustainable development goals. Participating nations at the event echoed these priorities, reinforcing their commitment to environmental sustainability in aviation. Renewed support was voiced for the ICAO Global Framework for Sustainable Aviation Fuels, as well as the ACT-SAF (Assistance, Capacity Building, and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels) program, which promotes the adoption of low-carbon aviation technologies and clean energy sources. Boeing's Kayode Ariwudola praised Egypt's environmental strides in aviation, particularly its move toward sustainable operational models. He reaffirmed Boeing's dedication to partnering with Egypt to deliver innovative solutions that enhance fuel efficiency and reduce aviation's carbon footprint.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Global airlines to address unpredictable trade war, daunting environmental targets at annual summit
An unpredictable trade war and daunting environmental targets are on the agenda for global airline bosses at an annual summit in India, as the industry addresses concerns that geopolitical uncertainty will dent strong travel demand and raise costs. More people are flying than ever before after a full post-pandemic passenger market recovery, but airlines globally are facing rising cost pressures, extended plane delivery delays, supply chain bottlenecks and a setback in recently strong fares. 'On top of this, U.S. President Donald Trump's evolving trade war has upended the aerospace industry's decades-old tariff-free status and added a new layer of volatility,' analysts say. While carriers in Europe and Asia report strong demand for flying, the U.S. sector has been hit by a recent slump in travel demand, with carriers struggling to forecast passenger behaviour and operational costs. "You can't say that a fall-off in consumer confidence and higher inflation are not going to mean less money in the wallet for people to spend," Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, the world's largest aircraft leasing company, told Reuters. For now, airlines are filling planes but there are questions over the widely watched yield — or average fare per seat sold — they are able to charge as they tweak fares to fill cabins. Many, however, are also being cushioned from the worst effects of demand by a fall in fuel prices and a decline in the U.S. dollar's value. 'Those tailwinds have insulated airlines, to date, from the worst effects' of demand,' Mr. Kelly said. The influential International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents more than 300 airlines and more than 80% of global air traffic, will hold its annual three-day meeting from Sunday (June 1, 2025) in New Delhi. The summit, hosted by India's largest carrier IndiGo, comes as the world's third-largest air passenger market rapidly expands its aviation industry, and as air travel growth in Asia is expected to outstrip Europe and North America for the next few decades. India's recent hostilities with neighbour Pakistan, which is causing Indian airlines to take large, expensive detours around Pakistani airspace, highlight how conflict zones are an increasing burden on airline operations and profitability. Accidents, incidents related to conflict zones are top concern: IATA IATA said 'in February that accidents and incidents related to conflict zones are a top concern for aviation safety requiring urgent global coordination'. Aviation safety will also be in focus after a spate of air accidents in Kazakhstan, South Korea and North America over the past six months, and rising concerns about air traffic control systems in the United States. IATA has increasingly been warning that airlines will struggle to meet their sustainability goals, and that it is not clear how the transition to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and new technologies will be financed. The broader aviation sector agreed in 2021 to target net-zero emissions in 2050 based mainly on a gradual switch to SAF, which is made from waste oil and biomass and costs more than conventional jet fuel. IATA Director General Willie Walsh has in recent weeks said the industry will need to re-evaluate the commitment, though no change to industry goals is expected at the New Delhi event. Scarce supplies of SAF Airlines are at odds with energy companies over scarce supplies of SAF, while also pointing the finger at Airbus and Boeing over delays in delivering more fuel-efficient jets. Governments are also likely to get some flak when Walsh delivers an often punchy address to airline bosses on Monday (June 2, 2025). "Demand for SAF continues to outstrip supply and costs remain prohibitively high. Regulatory frameworks to encourage SAF production are still underdeveloped, inconsistent, or insufficient," said Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
India can become net exporter of sustainable aviation fuel: Boeing exec
India has the potential to emerge as a net exporter of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) amid global efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the aviation sector, according to a senior Boeing executive. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025 in New Delhi, Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India and South Asia, pointed to the abundant availability of feedstock, such as agricultural residue, which can be leveraged for SAF production. With aviation contributing roughly 2–3 per cent of global carbon emissions, SAF is viewed as a critical solution for cutting these emissions. Gupte noted that India is poised to add 2,500 new civil aircraft over the next two decades, reinforcing its position as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets. Indian carriers have already ordered more than 1,000 aircraft in recent years. Gupte observed that India's modernising aircraft fleet would aid decarbonisation efforts and suggested the country could take a leading role in scaling up biofuel production for aviation. The main challenge, he said, would not lie in aircraft or engineering technology, but in ensuring adequate and cost-effective supply of SAF, which currently costs 2.5 to 3.5 times more than traditional Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). To meet the global net-zero aviation target by 2050, annual production must reach 185 million tonnes of SAF. India, with its wide range of feedstock — including used cooking oil and farm waste — has the capacity to produce 8–10 million tonnes annually, Gupte said. "This means that India can actually provide over 5 per cent of the world's SAF requirements... India can be an exporter of SAF. This creates an opportunity. This means India can help decarbonise the civil aviation industry," Gupte said, adding that turning agricultural waste into SAF will be a tremendous opportunity. Boeing, a leading global aerospace manufacturer, continues to maintain a strong operational presence in India.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
India has opportunity to become net exporter of sustainable aviation fuel: Boeing executive
India has the opportunity to become a net exporter of sustainable aviation fuel as efforts continue to decarbonise aviation globally, a top Boeing executive said on Thursday and highlighted the ample availability of feedstock, including agricultural waste, for producing the fuel. Aviation accounts for around 2-3 per cent of the global carbon emissions, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) can help in reducing these emissions. At industry body CII's Annual Business Summit 2025 in the national capital, Boeing India and South Asia President Salil Gupte also said that 2,500 civil aircraft will be coming into India over the next 20 years. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and Indian airlines have placed orders for more than 1,000 aeroplanes over the past few years. While mentioning that the country will have a newer and younger aircraft fleet in the coming years that will also help in decarbonisation, Gupte also said it can be looked at how India can play a role in industrialisation of biofuels for aviation . The barrier for SAF is not going to be aeroplane technology or engineering technology but the supply factor and how the fuel can be made more economical, he noted. Currently, SAF costs 2.5 to 3.5 times more than Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). If the world is to reach the net zero goal for aviation by 2050, it needs to have 185 million tonnes of SAF per year. India's feedstock, whether it is used cooking oil, agricultural waste or the like, will be able to make 8-10 million tonnes of SAF per year. "This means that India can actually provide over 5 per cent of the world's SAF requirements... India can be an exporter of SAF. This creates an opportunity. This means India can help decarbonise the civil aviation industry ," Gupte said and added that turning agricultural waste into SAF will be a tremendous opportunity. Boeing, a leading aircraft maker, has a significant presence in India.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Ethanol taking centerstage in India's clean energy landscape amid growth in biofuels
New Delhi: Ethanol, the renewable fuel made from plant materials, is fast gaining prominence in India's clean energy sector with its increasing use in replacing fossil resources as part of a larger movement favouring biofuels . Consider the fact that the average Ethanol Blending Percentage achieved by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) reached 18.4 per cent at the end of March 2025, from 14.6 per cent in the previous year, inching closer to the national target of 20 per cent. "As far as use of biofuels in the transport sector is concerned, ethanol blending has been a great success and we are now touching 20 per cent of ethanol bending in gasoline. There are discussions on ethanol blending beyond 20 per cent. There are talks about using flex fuel vehicles which are also coming up. All the OEMs have been given a target to come out with flex fuel vehicles in this year. With that ethanol blending percentage will go higher," said Alok Sharma, Director (R&D) at Indian Oil Corp . The oil companies are also working on an Alcohol to Jet (ATJ) fuel plan. While these plants are in the initial stages they will also come up in the next 2-3 years as the blending percentage increases slowly. Thanks to the aviation boom and the upcoming CORSIA mandates oil firms are shifting focus to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) . IOC, for instance, is trying to use Used Cooking Oil (UCO) for making SAF, and the first plant is likely to be commissioned by October 2025 on Coprocessing route. IOC plans to produce at least up to 1-2 per cent of SAF blended ATF. "By 2030, there is a likely mandate that 5 per cent of aviation fuel will be SAF. We are also trying to modify some of the plants where we can use UCO in our refineries. There are dedicated plants also being thought of where we can use UCO without co-processing to produce neat SAF. So, Ethanol is definitely going to be a centerstage going forward in the form of ethanol blending in gasoline, ethanol blending in diesel, and it will also be used as feed for producing aviation fuel," Sharma said. Parallely, Indian Oil has set up its first plant for 2G Ethanol -- produced from agricultural residues and non-food crops -- at Panipat even as it faces a few issues in handling of the feed. It is running the plant at around 50 per cent capacity while the scale up-related issues are sorted. Other OMCs are also setting up at least three more plants. The companies see 2G ethanol too playing a critical role in boosting clean energy uptake as the issues surrounding feed supply chain, feed handling and the high price of 2G ethanol are addressed. Apart from Ethanol, the past few years have witnessed progress on bio-CNG front too, which is receiving push under the SATAT scheme. Indian Oil has already set up three CBG plants under SATAT and it has plans to set up around 30 plants this year. "The CBG programme has received a push also because of the CBG blending mandates -- 1 per cent by 2026, and increasing to 5 per cent by 2030. There are various schemes launched by the government on these initiatives including on Ethanol blending, biofuel policy, PM JI-VAN Yojana, Gobardhan etc. A lot of policies have been launched to push these fuels in the energy mix," Sharma said. Another key promising area in fuel research is bio-Hydrogen used in the transport industry. IOC is working in this direction. Apart from Hydrogen production from the electrolysis of water, work on biomass gasification as a pathway is gaining traction. Indian Oil is trying to produce green Hydrogen via this route jointly with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The OMC has already developed a process allowing 5 kg per hour of Green Hydrogen to be produced from biomass gasification and it plans to scale it up in one of its refineries. The company also sees potential in using CBG reforming as a Green Hydrogen pathway. Overall, the biofuel sector in India is grappling with five broad challenges including skills, standards, segregation of waste, scale up and supply chain but Sharma believes there are many opportunities too in areas like 2G Ethanol, WTE, and non-food crops. India is aiming to become Net Zero by 2070, and in the Oil & Gas sector most of the companies have already announced their Net Zero targets. For example, IOC has plans to achieve operational Net Zero by 2046. Sharma believes in order to achieve the Net Zero goal, action is required on key areas like energy efficien cy, renewable energy including biofuels, Green Hydrogen, and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS). The focus on biofuels must be ramped up specifically in view of their critical role in the decarbonisation of the automobile sector too.
