By 2030, the demand for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) will increase to 49 million tons per year. This would require a significant increase in production capacities for SAFs: Investments of one to 1.5 trillion US dollars would be needed for the necessary 7,000 new production facilities. These are the findings of a study conducted by management consultants Ernst & Young (EY) together with the Fraunhofer Institutes for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) and for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT).
SAFs are chemically similar to kerosene but are not based on fossil fuels. Apart from the fact that they therefore already produce less CO₂, the use of SAFs could also significantly reduce the formation of contrails and their impact on the climate compared to conventional aviation fuels.