IATA has established a Sustainable Aviation Fuel registry for the accounting and reporting of emission reductions from SAF.
The registry, which will launch in the first quarter of 2025, comes as IATA projects SAF production will treble this year to 1.5 million t, but still only accounting for just 0.53% of global aviation fuel use.
The registry already has 17 carriers and one airline group throwing their support behind the programme. These include United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, as well as IAG.
IATA, which made at the announcement during its Annual General Meeting in Dubai, says it has also secured support from six civil aviation authorities - including from Singapore, Japan and Brazil - as well as Boeing, Airbus, GE Aerospace and fuel producer World Energy.
IATA director general Willie Walsh says the registry will meet “critical needs” of different parties in the ramp-up of SAF production and usage.
“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 decarbonised. Corporate customers must 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,” says Walsh.
The industry body will also work with certification organisations and fuel producers to standardise processing data. “The registry will be neutral with respect to regulations, types of SAF, and any other specificities under relevant jurisdictions and frameworks, making it capable of handling all such user requirements,” says IATA.
It adds that participation in the registry will be “on a cost-recovery basis to avoid adding unnecessary cost barriers to the SAF ramp-up”.
