Sustainable Aviation Fuel Faces a Pivotal Summer Travel Season
▼ Summary
– An aviation analyst canceled his family’s summer trip to Rome due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which caused jet fuel shortages and flight disruptions.
– The Strait of Hormuz closure depleted global jet fuel reserves, leading to suspended domestic flights in the US and canceled trips by millions of travelers.
– Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which cuts emissions by up to 80% but costs more, has become more price-competitive as conventional jet fuel prices rise.
– SAF is made from renewable resources like used cooking oil, can be blended with conventional fuel without altering aircraft design, and is now used by several major airlines.
– Bottlenecks in feedstock supply, infrastructure, and production costs keep SAF use below 1% of global jet fuel consumption, though the crisis has spurred new consortiums to scale production.
This summer was supposed to be a triumphant return for global travel. Vancouver-based aviation analyst Mark Miller booked flights for his family of four to Rome in late 2025, envisioning a classic Italian high-season itinerary: ancient ruins, the Vatican, and the dramatic sea cliffs of Sardinia. Then, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
That unprecedented move, blocking a waterway that carries nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply, sent shockwaves through the aviation industry. Strategic jet fuel reserves in the UK, Germany, and France plummeted. “Reports out of Europe said that the fuel supply could run low by end of June, which was about the time we would have been there,” Miller says. “The last thing we wanted to do is get stuck in Europe.” The Millers canceled their trip, joining millions of travelers making the same difficult decision.
The ripple effects have reached the United States. An American Airlines spokesperson confirmed to USA Today that the carrier will temporarily suspend several domestic routes in August and September, citing soaring jet fuel prices. With thousands of flights being cut preemptively, attention has shifted to a long-touted alternative: sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF can cut emissions by up to 80 percent, but its cost has historically been two to five times higher than conventional jet fuel. Major carriers like United, Delta, American, and Cathay Pacific are now using it.
“Right now, conventional jet fuel looks to be twice as expensive going into the summer travel season,” says Lauren Riley, chief sustainability officer for United Airlines. “That makes SAF look like a more competitive alternative financially. In fact, it’s the closest to parity we’ve ever seen. This is the first time in my career that we’re actually having conversations about it.”
The timing is critical. Before the blockade, summer 2026 was shaping up to be a post-Covid comeback for commercial aviation. The FIFA World Cup, America’s semiquincentennial celebrations, and Harry Styles’ “Together, Together” world tour were expected to drive unprecedented demand. Now, with prices rising and supply tightening, the industry is hoping SAF can fill the gap.
SAF is made from renewable resources like used cooking oil and leftover french fry grease. It can be blended with conventional jet fuel without any modifications to aircraft engines. World Energy, the first commercial-scale producer in the US, began converting agricultural waste, fats, oils, and greases at its Paramount, California facility in 2016. “There’s hardly any difference downstream of the treatment process and the blending process,” says Joseph Ran, vice president of asset optimization for World Energy. “You just add an additional blending step of mixing the SAF and the fossil fuel.”
The technology is straightforward. The challenge is scaling supply. Bottlenecks including scarce raw materials (called feedstocks), complex infrastructure, and expensive production have kept SAF below 1 percent of total global jet fuel consumption. World Energy, which supplied SAF to United, Air France, KLM, and others, actually ended SAF production last year to focus resources elsewhere.
But this year’s oil crisis has reframed the conversation. “The closing of the strait has been a very vivid example of overreliance on a single commodity,” says Scott Lewis, president of World Energy’s Net-Zero Services group. In April, United formed a consortium with Microsoft, DSV, and Phillips 66 to scale production and unlock 11 million gallons of SAF. The message is clear: the summer of 2026 may be the moment SAF finally proves its worth.
(Source: Wired)