Brazil has officially launched its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programme, establishing a book-and-claim mechanism and certification system to support compliance with national air transport decarbonisation targets, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Oil & Fats International reported.
Under the programme, airlines will be required to achieve mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from 2027. The measures were outlined in the USDA’s Brazil: Biofuels Annual report published on September 2.
Brazil currently has no large-scale domestic SAF production, although industry sources estimate that around 15 SAF projects are under development across the country. The USDA said even the most advanced projects remained in the early stages of implementation or production.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified Brazil as having strong potential to become a major SAF producer because of its abundant biomass resources, particularly sugarcane-based ethanol and vegetable oils. It has recommended investment in conversion technologies, infrastructure and logistics to link feedstock supplies with SAF production facilities, along with clear government policies supported by firm financing mechanisms.
Brazil has already begun commercial aviation operations using blended SAF. Since December 2025, Salvador Airport in Bahia has handled two daily flights using a 10% SAF and 90% conventional fossil-based jet fuel blend, the highest SAF blending rate currently used in Brazilian commercial aviation, the USDA said.
Two of Brazil’s three major airlines are operating the flights, which are expected to continue until December 2026. Total blended fuel supply for the year is projected at 5 million litres.
The SAF is produced from used cooking oil (UCO) co-processed with mineral kerosene. It is manufactured in Asia and imported into Brazil by fuel distributor Vibra.
Meanwhile, state-run oil company Petrobras announced in June 2026 that it would partner with agribusiness major Bunge and Vibra to produce and commercialise 4 million litres of SAF containing 1% renewable content. The renewable component will be derived from Brazilian soybean oil certified as having low indirect land-use change (low-iLUC) risk under the international ISCC CORSIA PLUS protocol.
Bunge will be responsible for soybean supply, certification and vegetable oil production at its crushing facility in Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso.
Acelen is also progressing with plans to produce SAF in Brazil through a macaúba palm-based project. The project will be developed in two phases, with the first phase using soybean oil and UCO to produce SAF primarily for European and US markets. Production from macaúba is expected to begin in 2029.
In the second phase, Acelen plans to replace soybean oil and UCO with co-products derived from macaúba.
The company said off-take agreements, including six-year contracts, already covered 90% of the SAF production planned under the first phase. It is also pursuing certification for macaúba-based SAF in multiple markets.
In May 2026, Acelen announced a US$1.5 billion financing package from public and private financial institutions and commercial banks to build a biorefinery in São Francisco do Conde, Bahia.
The Brazilian government aims to meet the country’s entire SAF demand through domestic production by 2029.
