China begins SAF pilot with commercial flights, airports; to ramp up in 2025

China's sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pilot program will begin Sept. 19, where 12 commercial flights from Air China, China Eastern and China Southern will use SAF when departing from four Chinese international airports, authorities said in a statement on the same day.

The airports taking part in the pilot are Beijing Daxing, Chengdu Shuangliu, Zhengzhou Xinzheng, and Ningbo Lishe international airports, the authorities added.

The pilot – which will run in two phases – will involve the selected airlines and airports until the end of this year, before the program expands to gradually include more partners throughout 2025.

The pilot was launched in Beijing by China's National Development and Reform Commission and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) late Sept. 18, which also saw the formation of a SAF industry alliance initiated by players like China Aviation Oil.

A SAF Industry Alliance initiated by China Aviation Oil, Civil Aviation University of China, and CAAC's Second Research Institute was also launched at the event.

Speaking at the launch event, CAAC's deputy head Han Jun noted that reducing fuel consumption and promoting green alternatives is key to advancing the aviation's industry green targets, especially when 99% of its emissions are from flights.

"SAF, compatible with existing infrastructure and offers significant lifecycle carbon reduction, is a practical path for the country's dual carbon goals and a move into a growth area in aviation," he added.

China's civil aviation sector has made progress in energy conservation and emissions reduction since the 18th National Congress in 2012, with the average age of its air cargo fleet kept at around nine years, while over 27% of its airport vehicles run on green energy, CAAC added.

This comes as the Chinese government has been making strides in such greener fuels in recent months, as it is committed to peaking its carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

In August, the Chinese government said it plans to accelerate the development of biofuels like SAF, and the industry is projected to grow to Yuan 15 trillion ($2.1 trillion) by 2030. In July, the CAAC launched the country's first technical center for SAF to focus on areas like establishing SAF standards and quality control.