The future of e-fuels – part two: Aviation

Liquid fuel in the form of low carbon sustainable aviation fuels likely to be needed for longer-haul routes as hydrogen aircraft will be limited to short-haul over 2035-2050

As mentioned in part one of this two-part series, the two e-fuels widely expected to perform best in coming decades are e-ammonia for long-distance maritime shipping and e-kerosene for aviation. Part two explores the potential of e-kerosene in the context of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—a sectoral term for biofuels and e-fuels and the primary way the global aviation sector is hoping to decarbonise through 2050—followed by the major barriers e-kerosene must first overcome. Potential scale The aviation sector acted as a trendsetter in 2009 when the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association (IATA), representing almost 300 airlines worldwide, set a goal of slashing its CO₂ emission