Earlier this week, Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced that it would launch the sale of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) credits in July 2022. The move is part of a pilot initiative of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and global investment company Temasek to advance the use of SAF in Singapore.
The credits will be available for purchase to corporate customers and individual passengers as well as air freight forwarders. On offer will be a total of 1,000 SAF credits, corresponding to 1,000 tonnes of neat sustainable fuel uplifted from Singapore Changi Airport, to be blended with conventional jet fuel.
Every credit purchased is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 2.5 tonnes, for a total of 2,500. Now, this might be a mere fraction of the emissions that the regular fuel still needed – both for regulatory reasons and a lack of supply – is responsible for. However, aviation isn’t going anywhere, neither is climate change, and the transition toward sustainable fuels has to start somewhere. Ms Lee Wen Fen, Senior Vice President Corporate Planning, Singapore Airlines, said,
By purchasing SAF credits, customers will help stimulate the demand for SAF, which in turn will increase supply. As it becomes more available, even though they are by no means a perfect solution, sustainable fuels will begin to make more of a dent in aviation’s carbon footprint.
“As we progress with the SAF pilot in Singapore, we can now offer more opportunities for our corporate customers and travellers to mitigate their carbon emissions using SAF credits, which are registered and accounted for within the RSB Book & Claim System. This will help to accelerate and scale up the collective adoption of SAF, reinforcing our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
