Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Singapore Airlines Sign Global Sustainable Aviation Fuel Declaration at Singapore Airshow

Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Singapore Airlines have signed the Global SAF Declaration at the Singapore Airshow, committing to promote the acceleration of the development, production and consumption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

The aviation industry plays a part in achieving the Paris Agreement targets, with SAF being one of the key decarbonization levers in the aviation sector.

The Global SAF Declaration calls on industry partners from the aerospace, aviation, and fuel value chains to jointly work towards the uptake of SAF as an important part of decarbonization  with the ambition to ensure a steady ramp up over the next ten years.

The Declaration is open to all airlines, as well as aviation and aerospace organizations, as a complement to their sustainability commitments. Singapore Airlines is the first airline to sign the Declaration.

Sabine Klauke, chief technical officer, Airbus, said: “Airbus is committed to reaching the industry’s joint goals of carbon neutral aviation by 2050. Several levers are identified to achieve these objectives and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels is one of the major pillars on the path to decarbonization, allowing for up to 80% gain in terms of CO2 reduction across the SAF lifecycle. All Airbus aircraft are currently certified to fly with 50 % SAF and this will be increased to 100% by 2030. The challenge is to further increase and encourage the uptake of SAF globally as well as incentives and long-term policies that encourage SAF use. The Declaration will support exactly that and Airbus is inviting further players in the industry to join the initiative."

Grazia Vittadini, chief technology and strategy officer, Rolls-Royce plc, said: “Signing the Declaration is an important milestone for the aerospace industry. We welcome the opportunity to push for more SAF use by coming together across the value chain. It is important that we combine our efforts and focus into building the momentum required to drive this forwards. We are all big advocates for the development of alternative propulsion solutions including hydrogen, hybrid-electric and electric and we also recognise that SAFs are a key building block to set us on our path towards achieving our long-term decarbonization goals.”

Eric Dalbiès, chief technology officer, Safran, said: “Safran supports the Global SAF declaration which underlines the industrial engagement to reach net zero emission in 2050. The Group is fully committed to deliver disruptive innovation for decarbonization, with ultra-efficient engines and 100 % sustainable aviation fuels capability, in order to enable the ambitious energy transition required in the aviation sector.”

Lee Wen Fen, senior vice president corporate planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “The Global SAF Declaration reaffirms SIA’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. SIA remains firmly committed to our sustainability goals. and has been actively advancing the use of SAF in Singapore together with our partners. Beyond SAF, we also use multiple levers to achieve our goals, including achieving higher operational efficiency and investing in new-generation aircraft. We will continue to collaborate with like-minded partners globally to work towards decarbonization and environmental sustainability in our operations.”

Creation of the Global SAF Declaration was supported by Roland Berger, a leading global consultancy in aerospace sustainability.