South Korea said on Friday it aims to ensure all departing international flights use a mix of about 1 per cent of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2027. The step aims to prepare for a carbon offset and reduction scheme that becomes mandatory for members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) starting from that year, the industry and transport ministries said.
“As the world’s No. 1 exporter of aviation fuel, South Korea needs bold policy support to prepare for the SAF market as a promising new growth engine in response to global demand expansion,” they said in a statement. Six South Korean airlines, including flag carrier Korean Air , have begun, or plan, to mix 1 per cent of SAF in the fuel for a single international route once a week starting from this year, the ministries added.
Airlines on Monday scrapped dozens of flights from Colombia, blaming dwindling fuel stocks – the cause of which industry officials and the government disagree about. According to IATA, which represents more than 300 airlines, distributors suspended fuel supply to 11 terminals, while for many others they issued alerts for “critical” stock levels.
SAF, an alternative to petroleum jet fuel, is produced from agricultural and waste feedstocks. Demand for SAF is expected to grow to 18.35 million tonnes in 2030 from 240,000 tonnes in 2022, the ministries said, citing data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For the oil refining industry, the government said it is reviewing wider tax breaks for investment in developing SAF, as well as incentives to ease the burden of high SAF production costs in future.
