EU’s regional airlines call for practical SAF documentation timeline

The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) raised urgent concerns over the 14 February deadline for fuel suppliers to provide sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) documentation to aircraft operators.

The ERA has called on authorities for provision of complete and standardised SAF documentation to airlines. It also called for greater alignment of reporting metrics and units across suppliers and member states.

Moreover, it added that a more practical and predictable documentation timeline, including consideration of more regular data provision to ensure smoother compliance in future reporting cycles.

The SAF documentation requirements falls under the ReFuelEU Aviation mandate. Fuel suppliers are mandated to provide SAF certificates to airlines. These certificates contain the technical data required to verify SAF use, submit reports to national authorities and claim EU Emissions Trading System allowances designed to help bridge the significant price gap between conventional jet fuel and SAF, which can cost up to ten times more.

ERA members across Europe warn that gaps in the required certification risk undermining their ability to comply with EU rules and access vital ETS incentives linked to the uptake of SAF.

“ERA members have acted in good faith and are fully committed to meeting their environmental obligations,” said Montserrat Barriga, director general of ERA.

“But without timely, accurate and harmonised documentation from fuel suppliers, airlines face a direct barrier between compliance and the financial support that makes SAF uptake possible. The ETS allowances reserved for SAF are not a bonus, they are essential to help close the price gap. This first year of implementation is a real test for the entire SAF system,” he added.

While fuel suppliers may legally provide documentation up until the final regulatory deadline, leaving delivery to the last moment places airlines in an impossible position. Operators must compile, verify and submit detailed data to accredited independent verifiers and national authorities a process that requires time, clarity and consistency.