European lawmakers have agreed on an interim deal setting the bloc’s lowest limit for sustainable aviation fuel. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License photo
April 26 (UPI) — Members of the European Union agreed Wednesday to ensure that aviation fuel is produced from sustainable sources.
The European Parliament and the European Council have reached a preliminary agreement on a minimum limit for sustainable aviation fuel, requiring that by 2025 at least 2% of the block’s jet fuel would be sustainable, with the proportion increasing every five years until 70% is reached. in 2050
Transportation is the largest global emitter of greenhouse gases, and airlines, along with other segments of the sector, are looking to alternative and cleaner fuels.
These alternatives include synthetic mixtures, so-called biofuels, derived from residual agricultural or forestry products and hydrogen. However, fuel produced from food crops does not meet EU sustainability criteria.
The agreement would also require aircraft operators leaving the EU to refuel “only with the fuel necessary for the flight” to avoid emissions associated with excess weight and carbon leakage caused by carrying extra fuel to prevent sustainable refuelling.
In addition, airports should ensure that their fueling structure is suitable for sustainable fuel allocation.
The proposal is awaiting formal approval by the EU Parliament and the Council.
The EU has already worked to clean up aviation. It signed a first-of-its-kind agreement last year with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to establish more streamlined rules for air transport and cargo.
The EU said the new agreement replaced more than 140 bilateral air service agreements between the two blocs with one common set of rules.
“It also gives us a new platform to work together towards our shared commitment to economically, socially and environmentally sustainable aviation,” EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean said at the time.
Airlines in particular are among the hardest hit by carbon emissions because of a lack of alternative fuels, but JetBlue said in December it would invest more in low-carbon and sustainable options to address the issue of Area 1 emissions, which are directly related to the company’s operations, and volume 3 emissions from up and down JetBlue’s value chain.
Jose Ramon Bauza Diaz, a Spanish MEP and member of the bloc’s Transport and Tourism Committee, said on Tuesday the package, which is part of the Fit for 55 climate initiatives, shows Europe is serious about its pursuit of a net-zero economy.
“With this regulation, the decarbonisation of aviation is getting closer,” he said.
