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Dublin, Ireland — Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has officially published Ireland’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Policy Roadmap, delivering on a key commitment outlined in the Programme for Government. The roadmap sets the foundation for Ireland’s long-term strategy to decarbonise the aviation sector, which faces unique challenges in reducing emissions due to its reliance on high-energy liquid fuels.
The roadmap outlines a national policy framework to support the development, deployment, and uptake of SAFs—fuels that offer significantly lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fossil-based jet fuels. SAFs are considered “drop-in” fuels, meaning they can be blended with conventional aviation fuels and used in existing aircraft without modification.
Strategic Development and Stakeholder Engagement
To guide the roadmap’s development, the Department of Transport established the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Task Force in December 2023. The Task Force brings together key stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and regulatory bodies to identify opportunities and barriers to SAF adoption in Ireland.
The roadmap is informed by international best practices, including guidance from the European Civil Aviation Conference and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It aligns with ICAO’s global “basket of measures” for aviation decarbonisation, which includes aircraft technology improvements, operational efficiencies, increased SAF use, and market-based mechanisms such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Four Policy Pathways for SAF Advancement
The roadmap identifies four strategic policy pathways to support SAF development in Ireland:
- Market Certainty – Creating a stable policy and regulatory environment to encourage investment and long-term planning.
- Collaboration – Fostering partnerships across public and private sectors to accelerate innovation and deployment.
- Supporting Uptake – Facilitating the integration of SAF into existing fuel supply chains and aviation operations.
- Supporting Production – Exploring domestic production opportunities and addressing barriers to market entry, including feedstock availability and infrastructure needs.
Each pathway includes a set of initial actions that build upon existing EU initiatives and will be expanded in future iterations of the roadmap.
Ministerial Statement and Future Outlook
“I am delighted to officially launch Ireland’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy Roadmap,” said Minister O’Brien. “This publication represents the realisation of a clear commitment in our Programme for Government. The roadmap recognises the important contribution that SAF can make toward decarbonising the aviation industry and aims to provide the building blocks for its deployment in Ireland.”
The roadmap also explores Ireland’s potential to produce SAF domestically, leveraging renewable energy and sustainable biomass. It highlights the importance of aligning national efforts with EU climate targets and global aviation sustainability goals.
The full roadmap is available via the Department of Transport’s official publication page.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF Storage Picture by Ubahnverleih
