Ren Yingli of China Aviation Association: At this stage, SAF urgently needs to be supported by national industrial development
"In the absence of a breakthrough in domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology, there is an urgent need for national support for industrial development and the joint efforts of relevant departments at this stage." At the first CATA Aviation Conference Green Sub-forum held on November 4, Ren Yingli, vice chairman of the China Air Transport Association, said this.
Promoting the commercial application of sustainable aviation fuel is an important measure for civil aviation to implement the national "dual carbon" strategy and realize the green and low-carbon development of civil aviation. Globally, the contradiction between SAF capacity and demand is growing. Ren Yingli believes that with the attention of countries to sustainable aviation fuel and the increasing proportion of blending, there may be a situation of "hard to find oil" in the world in the future.
At the same time, China's air transport market has huge development potential, and energy consumption and emissions will continue to grow rigidly. "The current cost pressures on SAF are mainly concentrated on consuming airlines, and this pressure may eventually be spread over each passenger, weakening corporate competitiveness and having a profound impact on the recovering aviation industry." Ren Yingli reminded that the civil aviation industry must realize that green and low-carbon development is an irreversible trend, and enterprises must take advantage of the trend and take the initiative in the increasingly fierce market competition.
According to reports, under the guidance of the Civil Aviation Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Leading Group, the China Air Transport Association and its member units have carried out research on the promotion process of the commercial application of domestic sustainable aviation fuel. The results of the study show that offsetting the same CO2 currently represents a nearly 20-fold difference in cost between using SAF and market mechanisms.
Ren Yingli believes that without mandatory measures, such as carbon market quotas or qualified carbon targets, it will be difficult to promote sustainable aviation fuel. In the absence of technological breakthroughs, domestic sustainable aviation fuel urgently needs the support of the state for industrial development and the joint efforts of all relevant departments.
The China Air Transport Association (CATA) is a social organization in the civil aviation industry, and its 49 member airlines account for 97% of the country's total air transport turnover, and the flight hours of general aviation member units account for more than half of the country's flight hours.
Ren Yingli said that the China Air Transport Association will improve the statistical system of energy and carbon emissions in the industry, improve the civil aviation carbon emission management system, strengthen the research on the path to achieve the dual carbon goal of civil aviation, and assist the competent authorities to promote the establishment of a carbon offset mechanism suitable for China's development stage and conducive to participating in international competition. Actively speak out on the international platform, gradually promote the green aviation energy industry alliance, systematically promote the development of China's sustainable aviation fuel industry chain from the three aspects of technology, market and policy, and better serve the deep decarbonization of civil aviation.
It is understood that the first CATA Aviation Conference Green Sub-forum was hosted by the China Air Transport Association and undertaken by China National Aviation Fuel Group Co., Ltd., with more than 200 representatives from airlines, scientific research institutes and service guarantee units participating in the forum.
