While interest in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) continues to rise, adoption remains hampered by cost sensitivity and low willingness to pay more, a report by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has found.
According to the report, Corporate Behavior on Sustainable Aviation Fuel Purchases, which gathered data from 58 organisations participating in the GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge, a 5% to 10% increase in airfare prices would help support SAF production, however most travel firms and travellers themselves are unwilling to pay more.
Other barriers identified by the study include uncertainty around standards and emissions reporting frameworks, with close to half of firms remaining unsure as to whether SAF certificate will count towards emissions reduction targets.
In addition, smaller operators often lack the internal systems required to support SAF procurement, including emissions tracking, sustainability budgets, and centralised travel governance structures.
Reasons for optimism
At the same time, the data indicates several reasons for optimism – some 20% of travel programmes purchased sustainable aviation fuel certificates in 2025, representing a 30% increase from the previous year. A further 11% indicated their willingness to begin purchasing SAF certificates within the next year.
On a sector-by-sector basis, companies in areas such as technology, transportation and travel services, as well as pharmaceutical and life sciences, tended to be leading adoption in terms of SAF procurement, as these industries tend to have a high reliance on air travel, as well as heightened expectations around climate leadership.
As the report found, adoption tends to be concentrated among larger organisations with more than 10,000 employees or annual travel spend in excess of $50 million.
‘SAF adoption is not random,’ the report noted. ‘It aligns strongly with company size, emissions visibility, and the maturity of sustainability programmes’.
Viable option
The GBTA added that SAF remains the most viable near-term option for reducing aviation emissions linked to business travel.
“With clearer guidance, lower barriers to entry, and stronger education, many more companies around the world could begin the journey towards incorporating SAF into their decarbonisation strategies,” commented Delphine Millot, GBTA senior vice president, advocacy and sustainability.
“While our research shows that the proportion of companies currently purchasing or intending to purchase SAF is increasing, it will only be through sustained corporate demand that SAF finally begins to take off as a viable solution, moving from the realm of ambition to that of reality.” Read more here.
