IATA to establish SAF registry

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it plans to setup a sustainable aviation fuel registry to report and account for remission reductions.

“The SAF Registry will help meet the critical needs of all stakeholders as part of the global effort to ramp-up SAF production. Governments need a trusted system to track the quality and quantities of SAF used,” said Willie Walsh, director general, IATA.

The association said that SAF producers need to accurately account for SAF delivered. While corporate users also require transparency while accounting for their Scope 3 emissions reduced via SAF.

Walsh said the Registry will meet all of these needs and subsequently create a global SAF market by ensuring that airlines have access to SAF wherever it is produced, and that SAF producers have access to airlines regardless of their location.

The association further said that the registry is being developed in consultation with airlines, government authorities, international organisations, OEMs, fuel producers and suppliers, airports, and corporate travel management companies.

In addition to input from all SAF stakeholders, the registry will also have a wide geographic scope to aligning with any reporting obligations and international standards. Moreover, the registry will also be neutral to regulations, types of SAF, and any other specificities under relevant jurisdictions and frameworks, making it capable of handling all such user requirements.

Finally, the Registry will help airlines meet regulations such as the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, ensuring compliance with SAF mandates and providing transparency to authorities regarding emissions reductions.