The International Air Travel Association (IATA) has launched the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Registry. IATA represents 340 airlines that comprise over eighty percent of global air traffic. The SAF Registry will be managed by the Civil Aviation Decarbonisation Organisation (CADO) and seeks to encourage the shift toward net zero emissions by 2050.
What is the SAF Registry?
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Registry is a global system, created by the International Air Travel Association (IATA) to record and organise fuel transactions. The standardisation of these accounts allows for greater transparency of fuel purchases and consumption. This, in turn, can be used to stimulate the achievement of environmental aims. The Registry has been developed in consultation with airlines, government authorities, original equipment manufacturers, fuel producers and suppliers, and corporate travel management companies. There are currently over 30 early users who are in the process of onboarding and ready to use the SAF Registry system.
The SAF Registry is managed by the Civil Aviation Decarbonisation Organisation (CADO). The Canadian-based not-for-profit was created by IATA in March 2025 for the sole purpose of maintaining and operating the Registry. As a founding member, IATA continues to provide technical and operational support for the SAF Registry.
What are the aims of the SAF Registry?
SAF is a scarce resource and is only attainable in a few countries around the world. The Registry will help to connect airlines with SAF producers and suppliers, simultaneously reducing the issue of geographical distance and lessening the challenge of limited SAF supply. This new network encourages a call for an accelerated transition toward decarbonisation, highlighting a responsibility to support renewable energy sources by lowering costs. In addition to this, the Registry allows for increased communication and connectivity, benefiting global harmonisation.
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist said:
“Aviation’s decarbonisation is a team effort. In releasing the SAF Registry to CADO for launch, we have put in place a critical platform for the benefit of all stakeholders. It ensures that all airlines in the world have access to SAF and that their SAF purchases can be claimed against any climate-related obligations in this domain. The Registry will record the environmental attributes of SAF purchases in an immutable way, safeguarding against double counting. Airlines, their corporate customers, fuel producers, regulatory bodies, and all related organisations will be able to record and account for their SAF transactions in a global market for SAF. While this is of fundamental importance and a historically momentous advance, it is but one step along the way to a mature, transparent, and liquid global SAF market. The Registry cannot produce miracles on its own, but without it, no miracles can be produced.”
What are your thoughts on the SAF Registry? Is this a key step toward the increased use of sustainable resources in aviation? Let us know in the comments.
