Private flyers increasingly ask what they can do about the emissions from their trips. The most direct answer available today is sustainable aviation fuel, usually shortened to SAF. It is also one of the most misunderstood. This guide covers what SAF is, how much it reduces emissions, why it is still scarce and expensive, and how private flyers can support it even when it is not in the tank.
What SAF is
SAF is jet fuel made from non-petroleum feedstocks. The U.S. Department of Energy describes it as an alternative fuel that reduces air pollution from air transportation 1. IATA lists sources such as used cooking oil, biomass waste and residues, and renewable energy combined with captured carbon 3. The FAA notes that SAF can be made from biomass, residues, wastes and gaseous sources of carbon 2.
The key word is drop-in. According to the FAA, drop-in SAF can be used in today’s aircraft fleet without changes to aircraft or fuel-handling infrastructure 2. For a passenger, a flight on a SAF blend looks and feels exactly the same.
SAF will not solve aviation’s emissions on its own. It is, today, the most direct step a private flyer can take.
Blending limits
SAF is not yet used on its own. It is blended with conventional Jet A before it reaches an aircraft. The quality standard that governs this is ASTM D7566, which sets blending limits for each approved production pathway 1. Depending on the pathway, the maximum blend ranges from 10% to 50% 16. Once blended and certified, the fuel is treated as conventional jet fuel in the supply chain.
That means a flight fueled with SAF today is fueled with a blend. The emissions benefit scales with the share of SAF in the tank.
How much it reduces emissions
SAF does not change what comes out of the engine in flight. The carbon dioxide released on burning is similar. The benefit comes over the fuel’s full life cycle, because the carbon in the feedstock was recently drawn from the atmosphere or would otherwise have been released as waste. IATA states that SAF typically reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by around 80% compared with conventional fuel 3. The DOE’s SAF Grand Challenge sets a floor for the fuels it targets of at least a 50% lifecycle reduction 1.
These figures depend on the feedstock and production pathway, which is why certification matters. Under ICAO’s CORSIA framework, a CORSIA sustainable aviation fuel is a renewable or waste-derived fuel that meets defined sustainability criteria 5. A business aviation guide published through ICAO makes the same point more simply: if the entire process is shown to meet sustainability requirements, the fuel can be called SAF 6.
Supply and price
SAF remains a small share of the market. IATA estimates that global production reached about 1.9 million tonnes in 2025, roughly 0.6% of total jet fuel consumption, and projects about 2.4 million tonnes, or 0.8%, in 2026 4. In the United States, the DOE reports SAF consumption rising from about 5 million gallons in 2021 to 24.5 million gallons in 2023 1. The federal SAF Grand Challenge aims for 3 billion gallons a year by 2030 and 35 billion by 2050 1.
Price follows scarcity. IATA reports that SAF costs roughly twice as much as conventional jet fuel in general markets, and up to five times as much in markets with government mandates 4. Availability at any given airport is also limited, which is a particular constraint for private aircraft flying to smaller fields.
Book and claim
Book and claim addresses the availability problem. A flyer or operator pays for SAF that is delivered into the fuel system at one location, and receives credit for its emissions benefit even if their own aircraft fuels elsewhere. The ICAO-hosted business aviation guide describes it this way: operators can purchase SAF at an airport where it is unavailable and receive credit for its supply and use at an airport where it is 6.
NBAA has supported the approach, describing book and claim as a market-based initiative aimed at increasing the production, availability and use of SAF 7. The physical fuel still displaces conventional jet fuel somewhere in the system. What matters is that the claim is tracked and counted only once.
Offsets and SAF
Carbon offsets fund emissions reductions or removals outside aviation. SAF reduces the lifecycle emissions of the fuel itself. The two are often discussed together, but they are not interchangeable. The same business aviation guide notes that offsetting would ideally be used alongside other carbon reduction measures such as SAF, not instead of them 6. Under CORSIA, eligible fuels can be used by operators to reduce their offsetting requirements 5.
Business aviation has set its own targets. In 2021, the sector committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to improving fuel efficiency by 2% a year between 2020 and 2030, with increased production and use of SAF as part of that commitment 8.
What this means for you
If reducing the footprint of your flying matters to you, ask your operator two questions. Can SAF be uplifted at the airports you use, and at what blend? If not, can the operator purchase SAF through a book-and-claim program and document the result? Ask, too, how any claim is verified and whether it is counted only once.
Expect to pay a premium, and treat offsets as a complement rather than a substitute. If you would like help arranging SAF on a trip, Aukeo Concierge can ask the operator what is available. Fuel standards and environmental claims change, so confirm specifics with the operator or the relevant authority.
SAF will not solve aviation’s emissions on its own. It is, today, the most direct step a private flyer can take.