Singapore to require departing flights to use sustainable fuel from 2026

Photo by shawnanggg on Unsplash

Singapore plans to require all flights departing the country to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2026, its transport minister said on Monday, as the city-state joins the global aviation industry's efforts to switch to greener fuel, reports Lisa Barrington and Brenda Goh.

Under the plan, announced by Chee Hong Tat at the Changi Aviation Summit on the eve of the Singapore Airshow, the country aims for a 1% SAF target from 2026 and plans to raise it to 3-5% by 2030, subject to global developments and the wider availability and adoption of SAF.

"The use of SAF is a critical pathway for the decarbonisation of aviation and is expected to contribute around 65% of the carbon emission reduction needed to achieve net zero by 2050," the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), which developed the plan in consultation with industry and other stakeholders, said in a statement.

SAF can be made either through a synthetic processes or from biological materials, like used cooking oil or wood chips. SAF currently accounts for 0.2% of the jet fuel market.

The aviation industry says this will rise to 65% by 2050 as part of a plan to reach "net zero" emissions by then, though that will require an estimated $1.45 trillion to $3.2 trillion of capital spending.

SAF producers complain that they lack certainty about whether fuel they produce will be bought, while airlines say there is not enough supply at the right price. SAF currently costs up to five times more than traditional jet fuel.

Image by postcardtrip/Pixabay

CAAS plans to introduce a SAF levy for the purchase of SAF to provide cost certainty to airlines and travellers, it said. The levy will be set at a fixed quantum, based on the SAF target and projected SAF price at that point in time.

It will vary based on factors such as distance travelled and class of travel. For example, the levy to support a 1% SAF uplift in 2026 could increase ticket price for an economy class passenger on a direct flight from Singapore to Bangkok, Tokyo and London by an estimated amount of around S$3 ($2.23), S$6 and S$16 respectively.

Andrew Symes, Co-Founder and CEO of OXCCU, a spinout from Oxford University which has revolutionised the process of creating sustainable, economically efficient, and scalable Jet fuel in a groundbreaking one-step process, made the following comment : "Singapore's decision to mandate the use of SAF for all departing flights by 2026, with plans to reach 3-5% usage by 2030, is a significant milestone in the transition to decarbonising the aviation sector. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has signalled operational readiness for SAF, setting a precedent for other nations to follow suit.

With the EU leading the way with RefuelEU, we're now seeing other countries and regions, this time notably in Asia, recognising the importance of legislation to achieve aviation emissions targets. This decision amplifies the message that transitioning to SAF is a necessity rather than a choice.

Increasing SAF supply through technologies such as OXCCU will be pivotal to achieving the mandates as we move away from petroleum-based jet fuel."

Passengers in premium classes will pay higher levies, Singapore's aviation regulator added.

($1 = 1.3445 Singapore dollars)

Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Brenda Goh; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Jamie Freed

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