Several South Korean Industry heads have convened to celebrate the first commercial launch of SAF at Incheon International Airport. Some include, President of SK Energy, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation
The use of a mix of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will be required on all international flights departing from Korea from 2027. This is in an effort to align with the global push for carbon neutrality.
The plan, announced by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ensure that all departing international flights use a 1 percent blend of SAF. This coincides with the implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation.
It kicked off its first use of domestic SAF on Friday, with Korean Air’s flight on the Incheon-Haneda route. This makes Korea the 20th country globally to supply SAF certified by the ICAO.
19 countries are currently adopting SAF for commercial flights. The EU plans to mandate that at least 2 percent of aviation fuel be SAF from 2025.
Use of SAF in Korean Aviation
SAF, produced from biomass sources such as plants and animals or carbon captured from the atmosphere is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional jet fuel. While chemically similar to conventional jet fuel, is not fossil fuel-based which allows it to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 percent. It is believed by the Transport Ministry that a 1 percent SAF blend could cut annual carbon emissions. It will cut emissions by approximately 160,000 tons which is the equivalent of emissions from 53,000 passenger cars.
