Maximizing the Climate Co-Benefits of Sustainable Aviation Fuel via Targeted Allocation

Mitigating the health and climate impact of the aviation sector will be particularly challenging as success involves transitioning to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which at present is more expensive than conventional jet fuel and not produced at a scale that can affect the entire market.

Sustainable aviation fuel will remain scarce and expensive for years, so where it’s used can matter as much as how much of it is used. Targeting available SAF to a small number of high-impact airports can maximize climate and public health benefits well before SAF supply scales to meet total aviation fuel demand.

Clean Air Task Force, in partnership with the aviation climate data company Estuaire, analyzed 2024 flight activity at major U.S. and European airports to identify where targeted SAF use would have the biggest impact.

The analysis finds that directing sustainable aviation fuel to a small number of high-impact airports, rather than spreading it across the aviation network, could significantly increase the fuel’s climate and public health benefits while global supply continues to build.