Delegates to IATA congress have been told that sustainable aviation fuel availability is falling further short of mandates as production costs remain high and policy frameworks produce limited output.
Aviation delegates heard renewed complaints that European regulations imposed penalties while supply failed to scale.
Speaking at the IATA 2026 congress in Rio de Janeiro Marie Owens Thompson and other speakers called for incentives on the production side and stakeholder alignment beyond airline obligations. Operators pushed for policy changes to support scaling while pursuing fleet modernisation.
CORSIA and EU systems drew criticism for complexity and ineffectiveness in driving actual fuel substitution. Airlines noted the difficulty of transitioning an industry reliant on high-energy density fuels.
Some carriers explored electric and other alternative technologies alongside efficiency gains such as single-engine taxi procedures. Targets for 2050 net zero faced doubts without accelerated progress.
Willie Walsh shared: “We all work for it to happen. If things continue at the current pace it won’t happen. There is no question we are miles behind where we need to be. Something has to change and change quickly.”
Marie Owens Thomsen shared: “I’m upset that we are so dependent on fossil energies. I want the world to have more alternative types of energies and every time that the world has developed new types of energies, it’s always been on the back of high oil prices. I’m not saying that this is a good scenario but it is definitely something that for sure we can see in the past has sparked innovation and creation of new energy markets. The more that we have high oil prices maybe the more SAF production we can actually look forward to and of course that would solve this problem.”
