Governance & Policy
ReFuelEU Aviation
Definition
ReFuelEU Aviation, Regulation (EU) 2023/2405, obliges aviation fuel suppliers to ensure that fuel supplied at EU airports contains minimum shares of sustainable aviation fuels, rising from two percent in 2025 to seventy percent by 2050, with a dedicated sub-mandate for synthetic fuels. It also requires aircraft operators to uplift fuel at departing EU airports to limit tankering.
References
Legal text, blending shares and synthetic-fuel sub-mandate
Policy context
Overview
What it means
SAF blending becomes a legal mandate at EU airports, creating guaranteed demand for producers and compliance duties for suppliers and airlines.
How it is used
Fuel suppliers plan SAF procurement; airlines track mandate costs; project developers size plants against the synthetic-fuel sub-target.
Why it matters
Aviation has few decarbonisation options, and mandated demand is the EU's main tool for scaling SAF production.