UK Sustainable Aviation Fuel Usage Falls Short of 2025 Target
Provisional data from the Department for Transport (DfT) for 2025 indicate that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) accounted for 1.6% of the fuel used in UK flights, falling 20% short of the 2% target set for the year. Approximately 160 million litres (35 million gallons) of SAF were consumed from around 10 billion litres of jet fuel burned in UK flights up to early October 2025. All SAF used was produced from recycled cooking oil sourced mainly from Asia, particularly China. The SAF mandate aims to increase this share from 2% in 2025 to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040, incorporating second-generation fuels. The DfT cautions the figures are provisional pending verification and completion of supplier reports, noting that SAF volumes are steadily increasing. The UK government continues to support aviation growth and is consulting the Climate Change Committee on Heathrow expansion plans, with SAF policy central to its approach. A SAF bill currently in the House of Lords is intended to provide revenue certainty to producers. Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport has implemented an incentive scheme reducing landing charges for airlines using sustainable aviation fuel and aims to achieve 3% SAF use in 2025.
