Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply across the European Union increased in 2025, with fuel suppliers reporting 1.1 million tonnes of SAF supplied to aircraft operators covered by the ReFuelEU Aviation framework, according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Fastmarkets reported.
Total aviation fuel supplied to aircraft operators within the scope of ReFuelEU Aviation stood at 39.3 million tonnes, putting SAF’s share at 2.79%.
SAF was supplied at 121 airports across all 27 EU member states, covering around 79% of airports in the bloc, EASA said.
Used cooking oil remains key feedstock
Waste-based feedstocks continued to dominate the SAF mix. Around 885,000 tonnes, or approximately 80% of reported SAF, was classified as aviation biofuel produced from feedstocks listed under Annex IX Part B of the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
Another 120,000 tonnes was classified as other aviation biofuels, while advanced aviation biofuels accounted for around 90,000 tonnes.
Used cooking oil (UCO) remained the dominant feedstock, accounting for 80% of the SAF feedstock mix in 2025, broadly unchanged from 81% in 2024.
Category 3 animal fats accounted for 11%, while palm oil mill effluent (POME) represented 5%. Food waste, crude tall oil and category 1 and 2 animal fats made up the remaining share.
Synthetic aviation fuel did not contribute to reported SAF purchases by aircraft operators during 2025.
China supplied most SAF feedstock
The EU’s SAF production chain remained heavily dependent on feedstocks sourced from outside the bloc.
EASA said 85% of the feedstock used to produce SAF originated outside the EU. China accounted for 61% of feedstock origin, followed by Malaysia at 8%, Indonesia at 5% and the UK at 3%. Only 15% originated within the EU.
The data highlights the importance of international feedstock flows for the European SAF market, particularly for Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) production, where UCO, animal fats and other waste-based feedstocks also compete with renewable diesel and other renewable fuel applications.
Voluntary SAF accounts for nearly quarter of supply
Of the 1.1 million tonnes of SAF reported by suppliers, around 250,000 tonnes was classified as voluntary SAF and was not intended to count towards the minimum ReFuelEU requirement.
EASA cautioned that the reported volume could slightly underestimate actual SAF supply in the EU. Around 10% of obligated fuel suppliers did not report SAF volumes, while the reporting system does not cover SAF supplied to non-EU airports.
The Netherlands was the largest destination for reported SAF, receiving around 320,000 tonnes, or 29% of the total. Spain received 152,000 tonnes, Germany 116,000 tonnes, Italy 111,000 tonnes and France 107,000 tonnes.
Together, the five countries accounted for about 74% of reported EU SAF supply.
At the airport level, Amsterdam Schiphol accounted for 29% of total SAF supplied, followed by Frankfurt at 8% and Paris Charles de Gaulle at 7%.
EU SAF capacity could exceed 2030 requirement
EASA’s assessment of production capacity indicates that existing operational facilities could provide around 1.5 million tonnes of SAF annually by 2030. That would be below the estimated 2.1 million tonnes required to meet the 6% ReFuelEU SAF minimum share, excluding synthetic aviation fuels.
However, when projects under construction or those that have reached final investment decision are included, potential capacity rises to around 3.7 million tonnes a year.
A broader assessment covering projects considered to have a high level of credibility puts potential SAF capacity at 5.5 million tonnes annually, along with 600,000 tonnes of potential eSAF capacity.
Airlines reported around 1 million tonnes of SAF purchases
Aircraft operators reported purchasing around 1 million tonnes of SAF during 2025, with 245 operators reporting purchases.
The 10 largest buyers accounted for approximately half of the reported volume. KLM reported purchases of 91,786 tonnes, followed by Ryanair at 78,951 tonnes and Transavia at 68,003 tonnes.
Around 624,000 tonnes of SAF purchased by operators was reported as intended for use under market-based measures. Of this, 512,000 tonnes, equivalent to 49% of total SAF purchased, was associated with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
Another 90,000 tonnes was linked to the UK ETS, while around 2% was associated with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Around 415,000 tonnes, or 40% of eligible fuel, was not claimed under a market-based measure.
SAF remains significantly more expensive
The cost gap between SAF and conventional aviation fuel remains substantial.
EASA’s 2025 reference price for aviation biofuel was €1,925 per tonne, compared with €640 per tonne for conventional aviation fuel. This represents a difference of around €1,285 per tonne, with aviation biofuel costing roughly three times the conventional fuel reference price.
EASA said these were the only two fuel categories for which it could establish a real index price. Reference values for other eligible fuel categories were calculated using bottom-up production-cost estimates.
