Virgin Atlantic¡¯s CEO Shai Weiss has warned that the UK is in danger of ¡°falling behind¡± other countries in the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

Weiss urged the UK government to offer more support and incentives to encourage companies to invest in SAF production sites in the UK as part of plans to decarbonise aviation.

During an appearance at the Airlines UK conference in London on Monday (21 November), Weiss said the US government was offering more financial incentives for the production of SAF than were available in the UK.

The UK government is planning to introduce a mandate on the use of SAF as part of its Jet Zero Strategy, which will require that at least 10 per cent of jet fuel must be produced from sustainable sources by 2030.?

¡°There will be no domestic production [in the UK] before 2025 and UK airlines will be forced to meet their obligations abroad,¡± said Weiss.

He said that the production of SAF should be ¡°thought about¡± by the UK government in the same way as renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power or solar generation.

Weiss called for the UK government to provide ¡°clarity of legislation¡± to encourage investment in UK-based SAF plants, including grants and loans from the UK¡¯s Infrastructure Bank.

¡°I¡¯m fearful that this could be a missed opportunity,¡± he added. ¡°It¡¯s a big shame that the UK is not using the green revolution to fuel growth. I fear that in 2025 most of the capacity for SAF will be coming from abroad.¡±

Weiss said that while there were five SAF production sites planned in the UK, he added that none of them had yet ¡°reached the final investment decision¡±.

He also emphasised that the other major move that airlines could make to reduce their climate impact was to upgrade their fleets to more fuel-efficient modern aircraft.

¡°We already operate the youngest and most efficient fleet across the Atlantic,¡± added Weiss. ¡°Already 70 per cent [of the fleet] is next generation and by 2027 - with our new Airbus A330neos - we will be 100 per cent new generation.

¡°This means we will be emitting 18 per cent less CO2 per revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) than we did a decade ago despite growing capacity by 20 per cent.¡±

Aviation minister Baroness Vere later defended the UK government¡¯s commitment to sustainable aviation and denied that it was moving too slowly on the development of SAF.

She pointed out that the UK¡¯s Royal Air Force (RAF) had just carried out its first flight to be fully powered by SAF.

While she admitted the sustainable fuel was more expensive for UK airlines to purchase, she also highlighted the five planned SAF plants in the country, which will be under construction by 2025.