© Reuters. People watch an air show at the Singapore Air Show at Changi Exhibition Center in Singapore on February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar So
Written by Joe Brock
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Promoting the Singapore Airshow on Sunday, the event organizer was asked what will be different at this year's aviation and defense festival. “Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability,” he replied.
An audio clip from Leck Chet Lam, Experia's managing director of events, served as an introduction to three days filled with environmentally focused panels and announcements, often accompanied by the slogan “Sustainable Space Together.”
Despite the united front facing the public, the air show revealed deep divisions over how the industry will achieve its “net-zero carbon” target by 2050.
Airlines chiefs and green fuel producers and manufacturers have contradicted each other and pointed fingers over the thorny issue: who is to blame for the sluggish use of so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
SAF biofuels, made from plant or animal materials, such as used cooking oil or agricultural waste, can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.
But they are up to five times more expensive, and there is a significant shortage of the raw materials needed to manufacture them. SAF is similar in chemistry and performance to fossil jet fuel.
After two decades of airlines pledging to use biofuels, SAF makes up just 0.2% of the global jet fuel market. The aviation industry says that number will rise to 65% by 2050, although environmental groups say there is no reliable roadmap for achieving that goal.
Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association, said at an event on Monday that the only way to achieve “net zero” is the widespread use of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
“Demand is not an issue,” Walsh said, adding that airlines use “every drop” of SAF that is produced.
The Blame Game
Companies that produce SAF tell a different story.
Hours before Walsh's comments, Ong Shu Hoon, vice president of Asia Pacific fuels at ExxonMobil (NYSE:), said demand for SAF was “very low,” discouraging producers.
Walsh, head of the largest airline trade group, later responded: “They will say that, because they don't want to produce any (SAF).”
Exxon said it is working to increase SAF production and is committed to supporting the aviation industry's net zero goal.
Environmental groups say the blame game over why the SAF is suffering exemplifies an industry that sets arbitrary targets without an agreed-upon plan for getting there.
“This chicken-and-egg debate is outdated and counterproductive,” said Joe Dardenne, aviation director at Transport and Environment, a Brussels-based NGO.
“How can the industry stand up when announcing net zero by 2050, when SAF uptake is less than 1% today and more than 40,000 new aircraft will take to the skies in the next 20 years,” Dardenne said.
Dardenne called on regulators to take control and set strict mandates for the production and use of the SAF.
Some airline chiefs who spoke in the air similarly expressed skepticism about the SAF's plan for the industry.
Peter Bello, chief operating officer of Riyadh Aviation, said in a panel discussion on Tuesday that there are not enough raw materials to achieve the SAF's goals in the industry. Bellow suggested that making air traffic control more efficient would be a faster way to cut emissions.
In the same session, Yasuhiro Fukada, co-founder of Japanese low-cost airline Zipper, said he was focusing on cutting plastic packaging on planes because that was more important than green fuel to the younger Generation Z consumers his airlines are targeting. . .
Many environmentalists contend that the concept of a “sustainable” air show is evidence that the industry is not listening to anything about tackling the looming climate emergency.
Shows were canceled around the world during the coronavirus pandemic, but are now back in full force.
While airline CEOs talked about paving a sustainable future inside a spacious, air-conditioned hangar in Singapore, fighter jets and military helicopters outside performed amazing aerial tricks, spewing exhaust into the sky.
On the floor, delegates flown in from all over the world sat in winding traffic queues trying to get in and out of the exhibition.
“The days of events like this must certainly be numbered if we are serious about climate,” said Robin Hicks, deputy editor of Eco-Business, a Singapore-based environmental group.
