Lisbon, Dec. 3, 2024 (Lusa) - Portugal's flag carrier, TAP Air Portugal, is among the worst airlines worldwide in terms of making the transition to sustainable fuels, with most of the 77 airlines analysed in a study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) making little progress.
According to the research by the federation - which is made up of non-governmental organisations working in the field of the environment and transport, with the aim of promoting more sustainable transport - of the 77 airlines the great majority, 87%, are failing to make the transition.
Only 10 are adopting credible alternatives to conventional jet fuel, with the other 67 either buying sustainable aviation fuels, but in insufficient quantities, or buying the wrong type of fuel, or not even considering using sustainable fuels.
TAP appears on the list of the worst classified, those ranked between 41st and last, with no points from all the options analysed for each company.
The Portugal-based environmental association Zero, which is part of T&E and publishes the analysis, says that of TAP's emission reductions only one test flight with sustainable fuels in 2022 is known, and "there are no known objectives for the use of sustainable aviation fuels or e-SAF (synthetic fuel) until 2030 or investments or agreements related to sustainable aviation fuels."
It adds: "Airlines, including TAP, are not only doing very little when it comes to adopting sustainable aviation fuels; many of them are doing nothing, raising serious doubts about the steps that need to be taken to mitigate their climate impact."
According to the analysis, the three highest-ranked airlines are Air France-KLM, United Airlines and Norwegian, for their use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
In the study, airlines received points for setting targets for the incorporation of e-SAF - a synthetic fuel produced from renewable electricity, green hydrogen and carbon dioxide captured directly from the air - and sustainable aviation fuels - either actual purchases or commitments made.
In a statement released by Zero, the T&E, warns that not all SAFs are sustainable and that e-SAF is the best. Bio-SAF (made from forest residues, oils and fats) varies in sustainability and is limited in quantity, and fuels made from food or fodder crops cannot be deemed sustainable.
Zero warns that most of the airlines in the ranking use the wrong type of SAF, with biofuels made from crops such as corn and soya accounting for 30% of agreements with suppliers, while e-SAF constitutes just 10% of the total.
The document also denounces the lack of investment by fossil jet fuel producers in SAF (less than 3% of annual aviation fuel production by 2030) and, "even worse" in the NGO's words, the plans that do exist are for bioSAF and not e-SAF.
Zero says that in Portugal the main supplier, Galp, plans to start producing SAF in 2026, essentially biofuels, and notes that oil and gas companies such as it are reluctant to invest in SAF.
Worldwide, the adoption of sustainable fuels is very low. According to the study, for the 77 airlines evaluated, the projected volumes of sustainable aviation fuels will lead to a reduction of only 0.9% in emissions in 2030.
Zero argues in the statement that airlines must set targets for the use of sustainable fuels, that oil companies must speed up the transition and that regulators must be more proactive, and must ensure that the European Union prioritises investment in e-SAF.
FP/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
