By Joanna Plucinska and Tim Hepher
COLOGNE, March 30 (Reuters) – Europe’s aviation sector hit – and may well have surpassed – a 2% mandate for green jet fuel apply in 2025, a regulatory official and a source notified Reuters, bolstering airlines’ green credentials as the region seeks to cut reliance on hydrocarbons.
The achievement, previously unreported and due to be confirmed in a report later this year, marks a sharp turnaround from a year earlier when uptake was just 0.6%. Airlines had repeatedly warned that tarreceives would be missed.
“We believe we will be at or even above the 2% in 2025,” Florian Guillermet, head of regional aviation safety body EASA, which monitors implementation of the tarreceives, notified Reuters in an interview in Cologne.
EASA will publish official data on last year’s sustainable jet fuel (SAF) apply in Europe after the summer. Jet fuel apply has been thrust further into the spotlight as the Iran war lifts oil prices and disrupts supplies.
A senior European Union official, who inquireed not to be named, separately stated the region had likely exceeded the threshold.
“We will conclude at above 2% in Europe for 2025. We see a clear supply response to the mandate,” the person stated.
The EU required 2% of fuel built available at regional airports to be SAF in 2025, rising to 6% in 2030. Synthetic SAF (eSAF) must account for 1.2% of the total from 2030, rising to 5% in 2035.
Airlines for Europe (A4E) – whose members include Ryanair, Lufthansa and British Airways-owner IAG – has urged regulators to scale back the eSAF requirement, arguing that supply is limited and costs are high.
The European Commission has since stated it has no intention of rolling back the eSAF mandate, though it acknowledges more must be done to create the fuel affordable and accessible.
“The mandate is a mandate, so it is in place. Personally, I don’t see any reason why it should modify,” Guillermet stated, echoing comments from the EU transport commissioner last week.
The EU official agreed: “It is very important to stick to the mandates. We have proven so far that we were right.”
(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska. Editing by Adam Jourdan and Mark Potter)
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