We're not skipping the hard questions!
Getting Started & Reduction Strategies
Nancy mentioned 4 elements of sustainable aviation. Can you provide the list again?
The industry is united behind the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change, a pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. They identify these solutions:
1. Technology (i.e. electric or hydrogen powered aircraft)
2. Operations & Infrastructure (i.e. operational efficiencies)
3. Sustainable Aviation Fuel
4. Market-Based Measures (i.e. carbon offsetting)
For someone who doesn’t work for a flight department, how can I get involved?
If you’re a human, you have an environmental footprint, and any aviation entity will have an impact as well. There are countless ways to learn about your environmental impact and how to reduce emissions. For more resources specific to business aviation, check out Climbing. Fast and NBAA's Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program. 4AIR is happy to help discuss what your impact might look like and identify opportunities to get started.
Inefficient flight is normally a product of ATC. How are controllers driving towards sustainability?
ICAO estimates that more efficient operations, including more efficient aircraft routing, could reduce emissions by 4-11% by 2050 (in comparison, the majority of predicted emission reductions, 15-55%, are expected to come from SAF) (Source: ICAO LTAG Feasibility Report). More efficient airspace and routing are key focuses of various ATC systems. For example, the FAA is finishing out their 20-year deployment of the NextGen ATS by 2030, which implements many more efficient arrival and departure procedures, adds Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures, enables satellite-based navigation, and improved ATC decision/network tools to better forecast aircraft positions in advance and strategically plan ahead for traffic flow. For example, at Minneapolis St. Paul alone, new STAR Optimized Profile Descents (OPDs) procedures are estimated to save 28,000mtCO2 each year. And 42 new OPDs were introduced around the US in 2021. In Europe, the Single European Sky proposal remains a major opportunity to improve flight routing efficiency, offering between 6-10% emissions savings were it to be implemented. As of March 6th, 2024, a provisional agreement on the SES proposal was reached, but its implementation remains to be seen.
Environmental Information
What percentage of total emissions do we represent in business aviation? It’s been said that the western world could go to net zero, but if China and India refuse to participate in equal fashion, how successful can we expect these measures to be?
Business aviation’s carbon footprint is approximately 20 million metric tons of CO2, or about 0.04% of global CO2 emissions. The entire aviation industry represents 2% of global CO2 emissions, around 1 billion mtCO2 as of 2019, and business aviation makes up about 2% of that footprint (2% of 2% is 0.04%). However, aviation accounted for around 800 million mtCO2 in 2022, about 80% of its pre-pandemic levels, so business aviation likely accounts for a higher proportion (~2.5%) of aviation emissions post-pandemic.
Despite this small footprint, business aviation has a crucial and immediate opportunity to make a difference. Over time, as other industries decarbonize, aviation and business aviation's 'piece of the pie' will become larger. Our industry is in a unique, difficult-to-decarbonize position; therefore, long-term reductions require investing in reducing emissions today.
In addition, it's important to remember that carbon emissions don't tell the whole story: Nearly 2/3 of aviation's impact comes from non-CO2 emissions – emissions like NOx or the formation of contrails. The non-CO2 emissions of gases and aerosol particles affect atmospheric composition and cloudiness, adding to the overall climate impact from the sector’s CO2 emissions. Some estimates put global aviation's impact as high as 3.5-5%, depending on what factors are being accounted for, making business aviation’s impact up to 3x larger.
Check out 4AIR's white paper, An Introduction to Everything You Need to Know About Sustainability in Aviation, for more information.
In 2022, China installed as much new solar capacity as the rest of the world combined, including the US. As sustainability pressures mount on all industries, it is simply a question of who wants to be the leader in a sustainable future economy.
What is the largest percentage greenhouse gas in the earth’s atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up the majority of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in earth’s atmosphere, around 80%.
How does the carbon emissions math work? I see 1 KG of JetA converts to 3.16KG of carbon emissions.
There are several similar published carbon intensities of JetA. According to ICAO, 1kg of JetA = 3.16kg of CO2. By converting kilograms to metric tons (divide by 1000), you can understand the carbon footprint (in mtCO2) of the JetA consumed.
Different carbon intensities do exist, and some national schemes (US, UK, EU) might use slightly different emission intensities; however, 3.16 is the global aviation average and industry standard. 4AIR can assist with selecting the appropriate emission intensity to align with your specific reporting.
Don't forget that carbon emissions don't tell the whole story: Non-CO2 emissions, such as NOx and contrail formation, pose a significant challenge for aviation, accounting for nearly 2/3 of aviation's impact. Confronting this, 4AIR meticulously selected an emissions factor of around 3 to convert these impacts into a CO2-equivalent amount, therefore determining the full emissions impact of burning JetA.
SAF & Pricing
What is SAF made of? (not the blend but the actual bio part)
Today, the unblended or “neat” portion of SAF primarily comes from a few main feedstocks known as Fats, Oils and Greases (also known as ‘FOGs”); particularly, tallow and used cooking oil (UCO). Over the next few years, we are going to see new feedstocks such as corn and sugar waste through alcohol and ethanol to jet pathways, municipal solid waste (MSW), waste woody biomass, and other waste agriculture biomass. Looking farther ahead, we will see new feedstocks such as cover crops, purpose-grown energy crops, and even what are called power to liquid (PtL) fuels. These PtL fuels use renewable energy to synthesize jet fuel from captured CO2, a fully renewable cycle!
What is the availability of SAF outside the USA?
The best availability of SAF is in Europe, where environmental mandates necessitate that suppliers provide SAF to certain airports and around seven producers are currently active.
Who are the 3 domestic producers of SAF products?
There are currently three main SAF producers supplying fuel to the US, and not all are domestically located: Neste (Singapore), World Energy (California), and Montana Renewables (Montana). Other US producers expected soon include LanzaJet (Georgia, 2024), Twelve (Washington, 2025), and Gevo (South Dakota, 2025). Existing renewable diesel producers and oil majors are also looking at converting existing facilities or co-processing SAF to expand production. There are around 15 producers globally, and around 100 new companies have emerged to expand the SAF value chain, with more coming.
How do you eat the elephant one bite at a time when the approved percentage of bio fuel in SAF is so low?
Decarbonizing aviation is like ultramarathoning—you can’t simply decide to run 100 miles one day. SAF is the near-term, in-sector solution to chip away at the larger sustainability problem. Starting small, like committing to use 5% SAF in your operation, is the perfect way to “take the first bite”.
SAF is currently approved up to a 50/50 blend with traditional JetA, but in the US, we typically see blended components of 25%-30% SAF to fossil JetA. While the long-term goal is to get to 100% neat SAF, it is still in the testing phase and will need to be approved by engine manufacturers through ASTM.
It’s likely that the industry will continue to see SAF with blends less than 50%, but with more volume available. The emission reductions come from the “neat” or unblended portion of the fuel, so as long as production volume increases, we will achieve larger emission reductions across aviation. Even if blends stay limited, a 10% blend of SAF across all JetA gallons would reduce global emissions by 8% (assuming an 80% reduction on the neat SAF).
What is the point of paying more than $10/gallon for SAF when I can buy regular JetA plus book and claim for under that total price?
That is the exact benefit of book and claim! The price of SAF varies from airport to airport, as does JetA, so book and claim allows SAF to be delivered to an airport close to its production, minimizing its cost and maximizing the sustainability benefit. Book and claim is the most cost-effective way to start using SAF because of this delivery benefit. It also links interested buyers with physical supply when it's not otherwise available to them, signaling demand to producers and other stakeholders.
Sustainable alternatives are just too costly and we cannot justify the cost to our principal. When will prices on fuel level to traditional fuel price?
At its core, SAF is a very long way away from price parity with JetA. It is still a growing industry without the complete economies of scale that typical oil refining has (SAF currently accounts for around 1% of global jet fuel supply). However, there are a wealth of new mandates, subsidies, and tax credits across the world that are helping drive the cost of SAF to be competitive with fossil JetA. Depending on where you are and various supply chains available, the cost of SAF can be significantly reduced and may even approach cost parity. 4AIR can help examine what benefits you may be able to take advantage of to reduce the cost of using SAF.
When will SAF prices on the East Coast come down to the level of the West Coast?
West Coast SAF prices are lower due to the market-based measures in place there, such as California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. These have helped funnel much of US SAF supply through the West Coast. Similar initiatives are being introduced across the US, including in New York and New Jersey. Additional policy support like this, coupled with incentives like those through the Inflation Reduction Act, and new East Coast production facilities will make the East to West price points more comparable.
Should more pressure not be on standardizing fuel costs to reduce uplifting? Airports 10 miles away from each other should not have price difference of $5/gal.
So much goes into the cost of fuel, and different communities and FBOs have different delivery challenges, tax costs, profit expectations and more, all of which impact the price to an operator. 4AIR would support fuel cost standardization, especially to reduce tankering, but the reality is prices will likely continue to be different airport-by-airport, even at closely located ones. This creates an advantage to using book and claim, as the SAF can be delivered to an airport where its price can be minimized.
Policy & Emissions Reduction Schemes
When it comes to carbon emissions and charges from different entities, where does this money go? Seems like a cash grab by world governments and companies.
There are different types of costs that can be tied to carbon and often get associated together: 1) carbon taxes, 2) carbon allowances, and 3) carbon offsets.
Carbon taxes are just a pure fee tied to, or based on, the emission of CO2. For example, the Portugal Carbon Tax, which assess a tax based on an aircraft’s size, distance flown, and “CO2 factor”.
Carbon allowances are ‘permits’ that allow the emission of one metric ton of CO2 and are usually part of a cap and trade system, like the European Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The EU and UK have separate ETS schemes post-Brexit, so allowances must be purchased and used under the appropriate scheme relevant to your operation. In both of these forms, carbon taxes and carbon allowances, the funds generated from those schemes are up to a government to decide where they are used. Some of the EU ETS funds do get reinvested in supporting aviation decarbonization research and new technologies.
Lastly, carbon offsets are an actual emission reduction that has occurred somewhere in the world, usually outside of aviation. For example, reducing one metric ton of CO2 by installing a new wind farm in a developing country is a very inexpensive way to reduce global CO2 emissions, on a per metric ton basis. Buying an offset supports that project and is actually an emission reduction that can be claimed against your CO2 footprint. So, offsets are unique in that they help make carbon neutral claims, while allowances and carbon taxes do not actually reduce emissions anywhere and do not make you carbon neutral.
Are the same or similar policies being explored for Part 135 and/or Part 121 carriers, or is this strictly aimed at business aviation?
Nearly all emerging policies and compliance requirements will impact all of aviation, just in different ways. Schemes like CORSIA or the UK and EU ETSs have minimum thresholds that exempt most smaller operations, and the thresholds are different depending on whether an operation is commercial (Part 135 or 121) or non-commercial (Part 91). Similarly, the Illinois SAF use tax credit should apply to any Part 121 or 135 air common carrier, but not to Part 91 operations.
Another example is Portugal’s Carbon Tax, which applies to both commercial and non-commercial departures from Portugal but is calculated differently depending on the aircraft size. Some mandates or subsidies, like the proposed Washington State private jet SAF mandate, will target business aviation (Part 91 and 135 operations) outside of 121 carriers.
Overall, most policies will target Part 91, 135, and 121 operations, though they can be applied differently depending on the scheme and operation. 4AIR monitors many recently enacted and pending policies and what their impact might be through our PolicyWatch tool. Each scheme’s impacts will depend on the set up of your specific operation. 4AIR can assist with monitoring new regulation or policies that may impact your operation.
When, where and what are/will be the regulatory and operational impacts to Part 91 operations globally?
This is a complex answer that depends on the operation. Check out 4AIR’s 2024 Aviation Decarbonization Policy Deep Dive & Outlook for more general information on what’s coming for business aviation.
Where do we send our annual CORSIA data that we are told to collect? Does the FAA want that info?
ICAO created the Carbon Offset Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to cap international aviation emissions at 85% of 2019 levels and achieve carbon neutral growth from that baseline using carbon offsets.
Each country is responsible for collecting data from operators based in their country and reporting the international emissions to ICAO. The FAA collects data from all US operators that pass the CORSIA minimum reporting thresholds, and compiles it into a national “inventory” to calculate all of the international emissions from US operators. ICAO combines this national inventory with every other country’s to create a global inventory of CO2 emissions from international aviation. If global emissions pass the 85% 2019 baseline, each country will be allocated its respective compliance action (a certain pro rata amount of offsets to buy), and each country will allocate the required compliance action down to the operators. Therefore, each operator would have to purchase and retire a certain number of offsets to ensure the global industry achieved its carbon neutral growth for that period. How this compliance action gets allocated down to operators does change in later years of CORSIA.
Using SAF or other efficiencies that reduce emissions are factored into the data reported by operators to their respective countries and serve as a way to reduce emissions under CORSIA as well.
For more information on CORSIA under the FAA, visit the FAA and CORSIA.