From Mandate to Market: How the SAF Industry Is Tackling Policy, Production, and Deployment
Every year, the aviation industry sets bigger SAF targets. Every year, production falls short. Yet the industry keeps moving forward. Why? Because the cost of stopping is higher than the cost of figuring it out.
That tension defines the SAF conversation in 2026. Global production is expected to reach 2.4 million tonnes this year, covering less than 1% of total jet fuel demand. To reach net-zero by 2050, the industry needs production to grow 250 times over. The numbers are clear. The path forward runs through five hard conversations.
Policy: Mandates Are in Place. The Design Still Needs Work.
Governments have moved. The regulatory direction on SAF is no longer in question.
- The EU's ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation set a 2% SAF blend from 2025, rising to 70% by 2050.
- The UK SAF mandate follows a similar structure.
- Singapore requires all departing flights to incorporate SAF from 2026.
On paper, this creates demand. In practice, mandates have outpaced supply infrastructure. Airlines in Europe paid a USD 2.9 billion premium for the 1.9 million tonnes of SAF available in 2025. Some paid up to five times the price of conventional jet fuel.
The problem is not ambition. It is framework design. Poorly structured mandates create price spikes without guaranteeing supply growth. Policy that works for SAF must reward investment, not just compliance.
Production: The Scale-Up Is Behind Schedule
Only 24% of SAF production capacity announced for delivery by 2024 came online on time. More than 40% of capacity planned for 2030 faces delays or cancellations.
Key constraints holding back the scale-up:
- Feedstock availability and competition from other industries
- Technology readiness for Power-to-Liquid (PtL) and e-SAF pathways
- Long permitting timelines and high capital requirements
- Inconsistent policy signals that reduce investor confidence
Even if SAF follows the growth trajectory of solar and wind energy, global capacity is still projected to fall short of 2030 targets by 42%. The solution is not one technology or one policy. It requires a coordinated push across all of them.
Certification: The Bottleneck Nobody Talks About Enough
Getting SAF approved for commercial use involves multiple certification layers.
- ASTM International governs approved production pathways, including HEFA, ATJ, FT-SPK, and PtL.
- ICAO's CORSIA scheme sets sustainability and emissions accounting standards.
- Bodies like ISCC certify feedstock sustainability across the supply chain.
Each pathway carries its own certification status and blending limits. For producers in emerging markets, navigating this while building local supply chains creates a real barrier.
Certification is not just a compliance step. It gives airlines, corporates, and governments the confidence to sign long-term offtake agreements. Without those offtakes, SAF projects cannot be financed. The process needs to be rigorous and faster.
Investment: Capital Is Interested. It Is Not Moving Fast Enough.
SAF investment has grown. But capital still clusters around near-commercial-ready technologies and proven feedstock chains. The funding gap is sharpest for mid-scale, first-of-kind projects that are past the pilot stage but not yet bankable.
Structures beginning to close this gap include:
- Public-private partnerships that share early-stage risk
- Blended finance models combining grant funding with debt
- Government loan guarantees that improve project bankability
- Long-term offtake agreements that anchor project revenue
Corporate buyers outside aviation are also stepping in. Luxury brands and motorsport organizations are signing early offtake agreements, adding new demand signals and broadening the investor base.
Real-World Deployment: What Actually Works in the Field
A growing number of SAF projects have moved from announcement to operation. They are producing data that no model can replicate.
- Actual lifecycle emission reductions across feedstocks and pathways
- Operational logistics for SAF blending and distribution at airports
- Engine performance data across blend ratios
- Real regional supply chain costs from first production runs
Where deployment has worked, it has not been a technology story alone. Consistent collaboration across producers, airlines, airports, regulators, and financiers has driven results. Every project that delivered shared one factor: every stakeholder understood what the others needed.
Amsterdam, June 2026: Where the SAF Industry Moves Forward
The topics above are the exact agenda of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Conference organised by Leadvent Group this June.
The 2nd Annual World Sustainable Aviation Fuel Forum takes place on 23-24 June 2026 at the Steigenberger Airport Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is a two-day hybrid event bringing together 150+ attendees and 35+ executive speakers for 20+ hours of focused learning, panels, and roundtables.
This is one of the most targeted aviation events in the SAF calendar. Senior professionals attending include:
- Airline sustainability and operations leaders
- SAF producers and biofuel developers
- Airport operators and fuel distributors
- Policymakers and regulatory specialists
- Investors, financiers, and venture capital professionals
- Technology developers and certification experts
If you work anywhere across the SAF value chain, this aviation conference is where deals get structured, partnerships get started, and direction gets set.
Secure your seat at the 2nd Annual World Sustainable Aviation Fuel Forum before registrations close. Visit the official event page to register now and be part of the conversations shaping the future of sustainable aviation: 2nd Annual World Sustainable Aviation Fuel Forum.
FAQs
- What is sustainable aviation fuel and how does it differ from conventional jet fuel?
Sustainable aviation fuel comes from renewable feedstocks such as used cooking oils, agricultural waste, and municipal solid waste, or through Power-to-Liquid processes using captured CO2 and green hydrogen. It can cut lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%. It is a drop-in fuel that works with existing aircraft engines and airport infrastructure without modifications.
- Why does SAF cost significantly more than conventional jet fuel?
Feedstocks are scarce and compete with other industries. Production volumes are too low to unlock economies of scale. New refineries require high capital investment. In 2025, European airlines paid up to five times the price of conventional jet fuel for SAF. As production scales and policy frameworks mature, costs will reduce. The near-term price gap remains one of the biggest barriers in the market.
- What SAF production pathways currently hold commercial certification?
Approved pathways under ASTM International include Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ), Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK), and co-processed fuels. Power-to-Liquid (PtL) routes are advancing through certification. EU mandates include a sub-mandate for synthetic e-fuels, making PtL a critical long-term pathway.
- What can attendees expect to take away from the 2nd Annual World Sustainable Aviation Fuel Forum?
Attendees leave with more than session notes. The forum is structured to produce tangible outcomes. Roundtables surface shared challenges and practical responses across the value chain. The matchmaking app, activated ahead of the event, lets participants schedule one-on-one meetings before arriving in Amsterdam. Speaker access during breaks creates direct lines to executives actively building SAF projects and structuring deals. For those entering or scaling within the SAF market, the two days offer a focused view of where capital is moving, which partnerships are forming, and what the next 12 to 24 months look like.
Comment