The document focuses on the transition from traditional fossil fuels to Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), offering a work plan for policymakers to foster the development of a SAF market in Italy. These policies result from ongoing dialogue between Enac and stakeholders, including aircraft operators, airport managing bodies, fuel producers and distributors, aircrafts manufacturers, research organizations, universities, and trade associations.

Pierluigi Di Palma, Enac President stated: “SAF can be immediately adopted on existing aircraft, thanks to their compatibility with the current fleet. In the future other forms of green propulsion will be available, such as electric and hydrogen-based technologies; these solutions are still in early stages of development, while today’s aircraft will continue to operate for decades. In the ongoing efforts to decarbonize aviation, SAF are a viable medium-term solution. It is crucial for the air transportation sector to have access to sustainable feedstocks —primarily biomass—that can increase SAF production and reduce the cost gap compared to traditional fossil jet fuels.”

Andrea Marotta, Enac Director of Environment and Sustainable Mobility, emphasized: “We cannot draw the path without a transparent dialogue involving aircraft operators, airport management bodies, fuel supply chain stakeholders, aircraft manufacturers, and research institutions. This is why Enac established the National Observatory on SAF as early as 2019.”

The document “A Roadmap for Sustainable aviation Fuels in Italy – ENAC path for the definitions of SAF policy” is available below: