Over the past year and half, me and my Boeing teammates have engaged with the UAE government and airline leaders, aviation industry partners and other stakeholders to envision a new chapter in renewable energy in the UAE.
Our belief was clear – the UAE’s culture of innovation and collaboration could provide the key foundation to establish a new regional hub for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Last November saw the launch of “Air-CRAFT” – a UAE-based research consortium focused on developing, producing, and scaling SAF technologies on the sidelines of the 3rd ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) held in Dubai, prior to COP28.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the UAE
More recently, the momentum for advancing SAF in the UAE has accelerated. Earlier this month, Abdullah Al Marri, the UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority, opened the 80th annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). He highlighted the UAE’s potential for SAF production and the importance of partnerships with the private sector.
In addition, IATA announced it would establish a SAF registry, enabling the commercial aviation industry to accurately track the quality and quantities of SAF used – enabling a global SAF market, and allowing airlines to purchase SAF regardless of where it is produced.
The value of air travel, and our responsibility to make it as sustainable as possible, is crystal clear. The aviation industry has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the year in which air travel is expected to exceed 10 billion passenger journeys globally.
As residents of the UAE, we understand how aviation is the circulatory system of this dynamic country, cycling people, goods and life-saving supplies through our airport hubs like blood cells through the body.
Air travel connects people, cultures, and businesses and provides critical solutions such as humanitarian airdrops and even transportation of organs for transplants. This industry supports nearly 800,000 jobs in the Emirates and contributes approximately 13.3 percent to the country’s GDP. But we have to maintain the benefits of aviation while working as diligently as possible to reduce its environmental impacts.
To achieve this, a broad strategy is necessary. At Boeing, we believe aviation can reduce emissions via four levers: replacing old fleets with newer and more efficient aircraft, offering greater operational efficiency through digital tools, and developing aircraft that employ new advanced technologies, including hydrogen and electric propulsion and new aerodynamic designs.
The fourth, and most important lever of all, is renewable energy. SAF can lower carbon emissions over the fuel’s life cycle by up to 85 percent and is compatible with existing infrastructure. Currently, it can be blended with regular jet fuel up to 50 percent, working seamlessly with today’s airplanes and requiring no changes to fueling infrastructure.
We will need massive amounts of SAF if we are to meet the civil aviation’s commitment to net zero by 2050, but scaling it faces challenges including limited supply and higher costs.
That’s why the UAE’s unique leadership position could prove vital in advancing the fuel. During CAAF/3, governments from over 100 countries agreed on a global framework to promote SAF production right here in the Emirates.
The UAE is a major investor in renewable energy and the first country in the region to sign the Paris Climate Agreement. The UAE also holds great potential in developing an emerging SAF technology called Power-to-Liquids, or PtL.
There are several pathways to creating PtL, and one utilises renewable electricity, CO² and water and synthesises them into a liquid hydrocarbon such as jet fuel.
The UAE’s abundant sources of renewable energy (intense sunshine and sustained winds), and ability to capture carbon dioxide from the air or from point sources such as industrial waste gases could prove vital in establishing a PtL hub here.
A UAE report, supported by Boeing, shows that it would be ambitious but feasible for the country to produce as much as 11 million tons of PtL SAF by 2050 – equivalent to approximately 70 percent of national jet fuel consumption, while also sustaining over one million jobs across the UAE.
Other studies forecast similar opportunities, and the UAE’s National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap aims to produce 700 million liters of SAF annually by leveraging all available feedstock channels.
Creating a new industry would require strong collaboration amongst partners, and the UAE’s airlines have already shown they are deeply committed to advancing SAF.
Last year, Emirates completed the first 100 percent SAF-powered demonstration flight in the region on a Boeing 777-300ER. In 2019, Etihad operated the world’s first flight using a SAF blend that included fuel made in the UAE from plants grown in saltwater (through a foundational project Boeing supports). In addition, the 2020 Boeing ecoDemonstrator, an Etihad 787-10, tested new technologies to reduce airplane noise and emissions while flying on a SAF blend.
Through Air-CRAFT and the work of leading UAE entities such as Masdar, I can feel the momentum for advancing SAF growing in the UAE.
The UAE is rightly recognised globally for its leadership in aerospace, climate action and renewable energy. With its unique position, I’m confident it will help ensure the continued growth of the aviation industry will be sustained with low-carbon technologies. This will only be possible if all stakeholders continue to unite, act and deliver to unlock the production of SAF in the Middle East and around the world.
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