IATA to Launch Global SAF Registry in 2025 to Accelerate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Adoption

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will launch the SAF Registry in early 2025 to boost Sustainable Aviation Fuels adoption and track emissions reductions, supported by airlines, authorities, OEMs, and a fuel producer.

SAF aims to achieve 65% of the aviation industry's carbon mitigation by 2050.

SAF is vital for aviation decarbonization. The SAF Registry will ensure quality tracking, accurate delivery records, and transparent emissions accounting. This system supports airlines, producers, and corporate customers, fostering a global SAF market, according to Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Wide Geographic Scope: The Registry will allow airlines to purchase SAF regardless of where it is produced. Each batch’s certified environmental attributes can be tracked and assigned to the purchasing airline. By ensuring that the environmental attributes of SAF are properly recorded and transferred between parties, airlines and their customers can report emissions reductions accurately, aligning with any reporting obligations and international standards.

Broad Application and Neutrality: The Registry will be neutral with respect to regulations, types of SAF, and any other specificities under relevant jurisdictions and frameworks, making it capable of handling all such user requirements. As the initiator, IATA is working with certification organizations and fuel producers to standardize data for efficient processing.

Regulatory Compliance: The Registry will help airlines meet regulations such as the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, ensuring compliance with SAF mandates and providing transparency to authorities regarding emissions reductions.
The Registry will ensure that the sector’s agreed SAF accounting and reporting principles are adhered to and fully in alignment with international protocols and industry best practices. It will provide safeguards against double counting and double claiming; and ensure the immutability and integrity of all interventions under the Registry.

Governance: Independent governance will ensure the system’s impartiality and robustness.

Cost Efficiency: Participation in the registry will be on a cost-recovery basis to avoid adding unnecessary cost barriers to the SAF ramp-up. The Registry is being developed in consultation with airlines, government authorities, international organisations, OEMs, fuel producers and suppliers, airports, and corporate travel management companies.

The project's key stakeholders include governments ensuring compliance with civil aviation authority requirements, enabling swift validation and approval of claims, updating national emission inventories, and aligning with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

News Source: Emirates News Agency