Ahmed Al Kaabi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Electricity, Water and Future Energy Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) and Chairman of the UAE Sustainable Fuel Committee, affirmed that the Guideline on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), launched by the UAE, is the first of its kind in the Middle East, with a target of having at least 1 percent of the total fuel supplied at UAE airports to UAE airlines be sustainable and produced locally by 2031.

Locally produced SAF will provide added value and bolster research and development (R&D) efforts, while utilising cutting-edge technology in producing SAF, Al Kaabi told the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

He added that the ministry is currently coordinating with competent authorities, including the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to develop implementation plans to ensure the objectives of the guideline are achieved, noting that among these objectives are to produce 700 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel yearly by 2030, develop the national regulatory environment for sustainable aviation fuels, and spreadhead global cooperation in the field.