The UK‘s Jet Zero Taskforce, established in 2022 to pave the way for net zero aviation by the middle of the century, has published its first annual progress report.
The report, which was presented at the Sustainable Skies World Summit, taking place in Farnborough this week, points to a transition from planning to implementation, as sustainable aviation projects start to move from concept to delivery.
As the report notes, while progress has been made in three core areas – sustainable aviation fuel, emerging propulsion technologies, and operational efficiency improvements – further work is required to maintain long-term targets.
A key policy highlighted in the update is the Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate, which was introduced at the start of 2025, and requires fuel suppliers to include a proportion of sustainable aviation fuel in their supply, starting at 2% and increasing to 10% by the end of the decade.
‘Teething challenges’
“As the SAF mandate is in its early days, there will inevitably be some teething challenges,” Steven Gillard of Boeing noted in his introduction to the report. “This report recognises that it is important to avoid knee jerk reactions but provides some practical suggestions to support the long-term success of the mandate. These include measures to increase confidence in the fair operation of the market and to improve the interaction between the Emissions Trading Scheme and the mandate.”
Industrial activity has accelerated in tandem with these policies, with new production initiatives such as Project Speedbird, which seeks to produce second-generation ethanol from sources like agricultural residues, being launched to expand the availability of sustainable aviation fuels.
The report also notes progress in alternative propulsion systems, with programmes focused on hydrogen-powered and electric aircraft recently receiving funding.
‘Recognise progress’
‘It is important to recognise progress,’ the report states. ‘The challenges we are now facing are ones of delivery. The importance of SAF has been recognised, policy has been developed and now Government and industry need to remain focused on unblocking impediments to success.
‘If we continue to do this, there is every reason to believe that the UK can continue to have globally competitive aviation sector that is a leader in sustainability, supported by a resilient and economically productive UK SAF sector.’ Read more here.
