European Union Aviation Safety Agency publishes report on SAF scale-up, progress, pressure points

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published the first ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report, laying out the initial picture of how sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are being supplied, purchased and used across the European Union. 

The findings establish a baseline: In 2024, the fuel suppliers reported that 0.6 percent of all aviation fuel supplied at EU airports was SAF—equivalent to 193,000 metric tons.  

This led to avoiding around 714,000 tons of CO2 emissions.  

To put this in perspective, 714,000 tons of CO2 emissions is the equivalent of around 10,000 flights between Madrid and Paris, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization CO2 calculator.  

For 2025, there is a mandatory target for 2 percent of the total aviation fuel supplied at designated EU airports to be SAF. 

“This first annual technical report marks an important milestone and makes clear that the EU has taken important first steps,” said Maria Rueda, EASA’s safety management, sustainability and global outreach director. “A functioning reporting system is now in place, initial reporting compliance levels are solid, and SAF delivery is happening across multiple member states. This report sets an important benchmark for our sustainability efforts in the future.”  

Key findings 

• Production-capacity assessments indicate the EU is on track to meet the overall mandatory SAF blending target (6 percent) in 2030. 

• Synthetic fuels were absent from the fuel mix in 2024, highlighting that the technology is still in an early stage at the EU. 

• The average price of SAF in 2024 was 2,085 euros per ton vs. 734 euros per tons for conventional jet fuel. 

• 25 fuel suppliers provided SAF to 33 EU airports across 12 member states. Airports in five member states alone (France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Germany, however, accounted for 99 percent of supply, showing how concentrated the market remains. 

• Almost all SAF was biofuel, produced overwhelmingly from used cooking oil (81 percent), with a further 17 percent from waste animal fats. 

• 69 percent of feedstock originated from outside the EU, with China (38 percent) and Malaysia (12 percent) supplying the bulk. Finland led as the largest EU contributor (10 percent). 

Background 

The ReFuelEU aviation regulation establishes that EASA is required to publish an annual technical report, based on data from the previous year.  

This report shall contain information on the status of compliance of the parties obligated under the regulation as well as on the state and development of the SAF market in the EU and its member states. 

From 2025, the data supplied for this report will be used to assess whether the obligation to supply at least 2 percent of total aviation fuel as SAF has been met.  

This threshold applies for around 150 EU airports that handle more than 800,000 passengers per year and therefore fall under the SAF regulation. 

For the 2024 report, 67 percent of aviation-fuel suppliers and 74 percent of aircraft operators in the scope of the regulation submitted their data, applying this new procedure for the first time.   

This will need to increase to full reporting for 2025 to allow assessment of compliance with the obligation.