General election could hinder SAF timetable, says transport sec
Gary NoakesThe government has admitted its drive towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is likely to suffer a setback owing to the impending general election, due by January 2025 at the very latest.
Transport secretary Mark Harper told the Airlines 2023 conference in London that plans for a price support mechanism for SAF, which will encourage production, would need parliamentary legislation.
"There is a legal requirement for us to consult – we will do that by 26 April,” he said, but admitted: "If primary legislation is needed, it won’t be before the election.”
Harper repeated the government’s commitment to backing the construction of SAF refineries in the UK. It will mandate the use of at least 10% SAF in flights leaving the UK by 2030, something that does not need primary legislation.
“My aim is five commercial scale SAF plants under construction by 2025. I believe we are on track to do that,” he said.
Harper said next week’s Virgin Atlantic flight to New York, the first to be powered entirely by SAF, “reflects the bigger picture of an industry no longer defined by the pandemic but of the progress made since”.
“The state of aviation can be summed up as recovery finally turning to renewal,” he said.
Harper, though, rejected the idea of any restrictions on flying to limit emissions. “There are those that think you should deal with sustainability by reducing people’s ability to fly; that is not the view of this government.
"We don’t want flying to be something just available to better off people,” he added, his views echoed later in the day by shadow aviation minister Mike Kane.
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