European airlines are preparing to challenge EU rules requiring the use of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel from 2030, two sources told Reuters, and plan to urge a delay or repeal of the mandate due to concerns over high costs and scarce supply.
The move would target EU rules requiring airlines to use a certain amount of synthetic green jet fuel, or eSAF, from that year, with an industry announcement set for Thursday.
The planned challenge, previously unreported, remains under discussion and could still change, the sources said, as regulators have privately pushed back against the idea.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The airline sector, already impacted by flight disruptions and higher fuel costs linked to the Iran war, says Europe’s green jet fuel mandates are too strict, with insufficient supply on the market and prices that are too high to absorb.
Aviation is among the hardest sectors to decarbonise, with zero-emission aircraft not expected this decade, leaving green fuels, with lower emissions than conventional jet fuel, as one of the few immediate options to cut emissions from air travel.
