César Arellano García
La Jornada newspaper
Monday, September 29, 2025, p. 18
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) would reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) up to 65 percent with a view to reaching zero goal in the sector in 2050, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated, and indicated that this will require a massive increase in biofuel production to meet demand.
It expects that with the acceleration of production in 2030 and as the political support is globalized, the SAF will become competitive against fossil kerosene and credible compensation will be more scarce; On that path, government policies play a fundamental role.
The Mexican authorities spotted last June that they seek to generalize the use of biofuel in aviation, which will reduce from 50 to 80 percent the emissions of greenhouse gases, as well as the creation of more than 3,500 jobs and the working conditions in the field will be improved to obtain sustainability certifications.
On that occasion, it was reported that air transport in Mexico will between 3 and 5 percent during the current administration, so airports and auxiliary services (ASA) will have to continue innovating and establish solutions for their current and future clients.
According to IATA, SAF is a liquid fuel currently used in commercial aviation that reduces polluting emissions by up to 80 percent. It can occur from used oils and fats, green and urban waste and non -food crops.
It can also be generated synthetically by a process that captures carbon directly from the air. It is sustainable because the raw material does not compete with food crops or with the water supply or is responsible for forest degradation. While fossil fuels increase contamination by emitting the previously retained carbon, the SAF recycles the one absorbed by the biomass used in the raw material throughout its life cycle.
In this regard, IATA published, in collaboration with Worley Consulting, a study that concludes that there is sufficient raw material to produce SAF and that the air industry achieves zero net emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. According to the document, all raw materials considered fulfilling strict sustainability criteria and do not cause changes in land use.
He states that airlines will need 500 million tons of SAF to achieve zero carbon emissions in 2050; However, the study identified barriers in the use of this raw material for the production of SAF, including the slow rhythm to adopt technology that would allow the production of this type of fuel. At present, the only SAF production facilities on commercial scale use hefa technology (hydroprocessing fatty acids and acids, for example, to transform cooking oil into biofuel).
IATA pointed out that to maximize SAF production, it will be essential to accelerate the adaptation of technology, improve the efficiency of the conversion and logistics of the raw material, as well as invest in the necessary infrastructure to expand commercial facilities in all regions.
