Nairobi — Kenya Airways (KQ) has been chosen as the only African airline to spearhead the International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Registry, marking a significant milestone in the continent's aviation industry.
This comes on the backdrop of the national carrier being awarded the Most Impactful Breakthrough award for pioneering the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on a long-haul flight from Africa to Europe in October 2023. The pilot flight was the first pathway to testing the use of SAF within Africa generating valuable data and insights that are to inform policy decisions, regulatory frameworks, and industry best practices.
"By playing a crucial role in the development of the registry, KQ contributes significantly to building trust and confidence in SAF as a viable solution for minimizing aviation's environmental impact," notes Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka.
SAF is expected to account for up to 65% of the total carbon mitigation needed to achieve net zero carbon emissions in air transportation by 2050. The SAF registry that is to be rolled out in the first quarter of 2025 will enable airlines worldwide to buy sustainable aviation fuel regardless of where it is produced and have certainty they can claim the environmental benefits of the SAF they have purchased for regulatory compliance purposes.
"SAF is key to aviation's decarbonization," says Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General. "Airlines want more SAF and stand ready to use every drop of it. The SAF Registry will help meet the critical needs of all stakeholders as part of the global effort to ramp up SAF production."
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The IATA's Director General also notes that Governments need a trusted system to track the quality and quantities of SAF used. "SAF producers need to accurately account for what has been delivered and effectively decarbonized. Corporate customers must also be able to transparently account for their Scope 3 emissions. And airlines must have certainty that they can claim the environmental benefits of the SAF they purchased," he reiterated.
The development of the registry is being supported in a pilot phase by seventeen national airlines; IAG airline group, six national authorities, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) Airbus, Boeing and GE Aerospace, and fuel producer World Energy.
These collaborations serve the specific purpose of ensuring compliance with the regulations set by civil aviation authorities such as ICAO's CORSIA scheme and the EU ETS, as well as ensuring compliance with SAF mandates and providing transparency to authorities regarding emissions reductions.
With its focus on compliance, transparency, and government collaboration, the registry will pave the way for a robust and accountable system that accelerates the use of SAF and facilitates a more sustainable future for the aviation industry.
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