Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Noting the “opportunity is large,” a senior leader on the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) front outlined a vision where production of SAF can grow&nbsp;to at least one billion gallons a year by 2025, the number of pathways to develop it more than doubles, and the industry progresses toward the goal of a 100 percent sustainable option.

 


Speaking during the virtual NBAA Go Flight Operations Conference this week, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) executive director Steve Csonka outlined the building block approach that the industry has taken to get to the point where the industry now can use a 50/50 jet-A and SAF blend as a true drop-in solution.

 


In the 50/50 blend, SAF has proven to meet the necessary fuel spec and has demonstrated that it reduces life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 50 percent and on average anywhere between 60 and 80 percent or more. Csonka added that “we can make those reductions greater” later this year, noting that some producers using feedstocks such as tallow and cooking oil are on track to produce SAF by year-end that reaches&nbsp;almost 100 percent reduction of GHG emissions.

 


As for availability, currently, there are three major producers who combined for a production capacity of nearly 60 million gallons in 2020, with Neste accounting for 35 million gallons of that total. A couple more are joining the fray this year, bumping up that tally to an estimated 72 million. But more than a dozen—that are announced at this point—are set to come online over the next few years beyond that. But this output capacity is expected to grow more than 1,000 percent next year, reaching 746 million gallons, and ultimately to one billion gallons by 2025.

 


But Csonka added this only accounts for announced plans. A number of others are bubbling under the surface, leading the International Air Transport Association to suggest production could actually reach two billion gallons by 2025. “I agree with those assessments,” he said, but those production plans need to go public before CAAFI will take them into account.

 


To reach that mark, Csonka sees the number of SAF pathways substantially growing. Currently, seven pathways are approved using various feedstocks to produce SAF. There are another six in process and a whole group beyond that, Csonka said, estimating it could be as much as 15.

 


The varied pathways and use of feedstocks are important because critics have levied charges that SAF could cause deforestation of the planet or limit food availability to meet the demand necessary to satisfy aviation needs. But Csonka stressed, “the aviation enterprise is clearly in tune with our need to be sustainable” and is working to develop various means that are regionally appropriate. This includes expansion into areas such as waste use.

 


Another area of criticism, he acknowledged, is the use of the 50/50 blend, meaning half is still fossil fuel. But, Csonka added researchers are eying possibilities to “needing less blending or even zero blending. We’re doing the work right now, just like we did 10 years ago with the building block fundamentals, to determine how we get to 100 percent blending and we already know we have several pathways to do that.”

 


Other key concerns CAAFI and other industry stakeholders are hoping to address surround cost. One area is at the refinery level. “We are exploring how we can utilize existing refinery infrastructure to co-process bio-crudes to keep the investment costs of these facilities reasonable,” he said.

 


As the prevalence and demand build for biofuel, he cautioned about people looking past its use. “Others talk about better solutions in the 2035 to 2050 timeframe,” Csonka noted, adding he is concerned that there is “a risk of kicking the can down the road and not addressing improvements we can make today through SAF.”

 


The industry is addressing challenges to get SAF to market in a reasonable timeframe, he concluded.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

SAF on Track for 1B Gallons Annual Production by 2025

As more producers join the fray, production capacity of SAF is poised to take a dramatic jump through 2025 to at least 1 billion gallons annual output.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney are committed to new R&D efforts in the Netherlands

RTX Launches Sustainability Alliance With Dutch Aerospace Sector

Total funding for the third phase of work could top €950 million

EU's Clean Aviation Set to Invite Proposals for Decarbonization R&D Work

Curt Epstein

New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Naples Aviation is the first of many to begin offering SAF in the coming months

Florida FBO Becomes First on East Coast To Offer SAF

The large-scale plant is expected to come online in 2026

Pakistan's First SAF Plant Gets Funding Boost

The multi-billion-dollar facility is expected to be running by 2029

New Major SAF Plant Planned for Texas

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

The move could bolster the Kingdom's circular economy and sustainability

TotalEnergies, Aramco Sign SAF Development Agreement

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Environmental regulatory schemes are growing exponentially worldwide

4Air Compliance Services Expand with 21 More Enviro Regs

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers 2021

More In Environment