Boeing, DHL Group Among Firms Signed up to IATA SAF Registry

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and increasing its use is undoubtedly one of the hottest topics in air transportation, sustainability and their intersection. 

It’s why the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has confirmed the creation of a dedicated SAF Registry to accelerate its uptake by authoritatively accounting and reporting emissions reductions from SAF.  

Seventeen airlines, one airline group, six national authorities, three original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and one fuel producer are already supporting efforts to develop the registry, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2025. 

“SAF is key to aviation’s decarbonisation,” explains Willie Walsh, Director General at the IATA. “Airlines want more SAF and stand ready to use every drop of it.

“The SAF Registry will help meet the critical needs of all stakeholders as part of the global effort to ramp up SAF production. Governments need a trusted system to track the quality and quantities of SAF used; SAF producers need to accurately account for what has been delivered and effectively decarbonised; corporate customers must be able to transparently account for their Scope 3 emissions; and airlines must have certainty that they can claim the environmental benefits of the SAF they purchased. 

“The registry will meet all these needs and, in doing so, help create a global SAF market by ensuring airlines have access to SAF wherever it’s produced, and producers have access to airlines regardless of their location.”

Who’s signed up to the IATA SAF Registry?

The IATA SAF Registry is being developed in consultation with airlines, government authorities, international organisations, OEMs, fuel producers and suppliers, airports and corporate travel management companies.

Key – and unique – among the project’s stakeholders is the participation of governments, with the specific aim of ensuring compliance with the requirements of civil aviation authorities. 

Relevant authorities can swiftly validate and approve claims, update national emission inventories and align their actions with international standards, such as those set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).  

Support has already been secured from the following:

• Airlines: Air Canada, Air France-KLM, All Nippon Airways (ANA), American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, DHL Group, Emirates, International Airlines Group (IAG), Japan Airlines, Kenya Airways, LATAM, Malaysia Aviation Group, Qatar Airways, SAS, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, United Airlines 
• National authorities: Brazil (ANAC), Japan (JCAB), Kazakhstan (AAK), Malaysia (CAAM), Singapore (CAAS), Switzerland (FOCA)
• OEMs: Airbus, Boeing, GE Aerospace 
• Fuel producers: World Energy  

Capabilities of the SAF Registry

Sustainable aviation fuel is expected to account for up to 65% of the total carbon mitigation needed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in air transportation by 2050.  

Its importance was set out in the recently-published Aviation Net Zero CO2 Transition Pathways Comparative Review, produced by the IATA to provide a comprehensive assessment of 14 prominent net-zero transition frameworks tailored specifically for the aviation sector.

The registry is anticipated to offer several capabilities, including:

• Wide geographic scope: The registry will allow airlines to purchase SAF regardless of where it is produced. Each batch’s certified environmental attributes can be tracked and assigned to the purchasing airline. By ensuring the environmental attributes of SAF are properly recorded and transferred between parties, airlines and their customers can report emissions reductions accurately, aligning with any reporting obligations and international standards.
• Broad application and neutrality: The registry will be neutral with respect to regulations, types of SAF and any other specificities under relevant jurisdictions and frameworks, making it capable of handling all such user requirements. As the initiator, IATA is working with certification organisations and fuel producers to standardise data for efficient processing.  
• Regulatory compliance: The registry will help airlines meet regulations such as the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, ensuring compliance with SAF mandates and providing transparency to authorities regarding emissions reductions. It will ensure the sector’s agreed SAF accounting and reporting principles are adhered to and fully in alignment with international protocols and industry best practices. It will provide safeguards against double counting and double claiming and ensure the immutability and integrity of all interventions under the registry.  
• Governance: Independent governance will ensure the system’s impartiality and robustness.  
• Cost efficiency: Participation in the registry will be on a cost-recovery basis to avoid adding unnecessary cost barriers to the SAF ramp-up. 

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