As the aviation industry grapples with the urgent need to reduce its carbon footprint, the European Union's ReFuelEU Aviation initiative emerges as a pivotal policy driving changes toward sustainability.
Let's take a closer look at this policy.
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Summary |
ReFuel EU Aviation is an important element of the European Union’s (EU) ambitious climate policy, designed to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector by promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Launched as part of the “Fit for 55” package, presented by the European Commission, a package that aims to enable the EU to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. the objective is to achieve climate neutrality in 2050.
Share of SAF in all EU airports in 2025 and 2050
Source: European Commission
Mandatory minimum proportion of SAF
Source: EASA
Aircraft operators are obliged to ensure that the yearly quantity of aviation fuel uplifted at a given EU airport is at least 90% of the yearly aviation fuel required to avoid tankering practices that would induce additional emissions from extra weight.
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🔎 Tankering in a nutshell |
According to EASA, the scope of eligible sustainable aviation fuels includes synthetic aviation fuels from renewable hydrogen and captured carbon, advanced biofuels from waste and residues, biofuels produced from oils and fats, and recycled-carbon aviation fuels.
The fuel suppliers can also decide to comply with the minimum shares by using renewable hydrogen, synthetic low-carbon aviation fuels and low-carbon hydrogen produced from non-fossil sources.
These fuels are required to comply with the Renewable Energy Directive’s (RED’s) sustainability and emissions-saving criteria.
The operators subject to ReFuel EU are required to report on the 2025 monitoring period in 2026. A third-party verifier must verify this report, which must be submitted to the respective authorities by March 31, 2026 in the EASA Sustainability Portal.
As of June 2024, the reporting should be done via the ReFuelEU reporting tool.
You will have to submit your report with the following reporting templates:
💡 Pro tip: For this step, EASA has created an Aviation Fuel Monitoring Tool that will help airlines to build the final report by computing the expected results from raw inputs. You can synchronize your raw inputs flight-by-flight instantly in your SkyBreathe® module dedicated to Emissions.
To ensure compliance with the SAF blending and uplifting obligations, the European Commission has established criteria for non-compliance penalties. According to these guidelines, member state authorities will set penalties for fuel suppliers and airlines.
For airlines, penalties will be at least twice the yearly average price of conventional jet fuel, multiplied by the quantity of SAF that has not been uplifted.
The fuels reference prices have been released in October 2025 in the document “EASA reference prices for RFEUA eligible aviation fuels”.
This stringent penalty framework enforces adherence to SAF usage mandates and drives the transition towards more sustainable aviation fuels.
ReFuelEU Aviation is poised to play a critical role in helping the EU develop sustainable aviation in Europe and achieve its climate targets.
According to the EU regulation, the adoption of SAF could lead to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, surpassing 63% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
Additionally, increasing the use of SAF is expected to mitigate other harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). This reduction in pollutants will notably improve air quality, particularly in areas surrounding airports, thereby contributing to a healthier environment and supporting the EU's broader sustainability goals.
To know more about ReFuelEU Aviation benefits visit the official website.
ReFuel EU Aviation benefits - Source: European Commission
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