NATA States Opposition to 'Premature' Transition to Unleaded Avgas in California

    March 5, 2025
    A motion brought by the California Center for Environmental Health (CEH) would force several of NATA’s member businesses to transition away from current aviation gasoline in favor of a single unleaded aviation fuel.
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    The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has officially stated its opposition to a forced, premature transition to an unleaded avgas product in California, further supported by recent public notices filed by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) expressing concerns about potential materials compatibility issues and a lack of transparent data associated with the new fuel.

    The OEM notices come ahead of a March 5, 2025, hearing to decide on a motion brought by the California Center for Environmental Health (CEH) that would arbitrarily force several of NATA’s member businesses to prematurely transition away from current aviation gasoline in favor of a single unleaded aviation fuel, despite the fuel’s lack of approval for certain categories of general aviation aircraft (e.g., piston-powered helicopters) and its lack of an ASTM International or other peer-reviewed industry consensus standard.

    The OEM notices and filings follow public court filings by individual aircraft owners and pilots, who documented adverse effects on their aircraft potentially related to use of the new unleaded fuel in California.

    “Transitioning to a new aviation fuel that lacks transparent data and has not undergone an independent peer reviewed industry consensus process introduces unknown numbers of new risks into the aviation system at a time when the entire industry has reaffirmed its commitment to safety,” said NATA CEO and President Curt Castagna, who also serves as Industry Co-Chair of the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) Initiative.