Morning, Wednesday, 1st July 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for aviation decarbonisation in the UK.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss key issues for Sustainable Aviation Fuel implementation and delivery, in the context of the incremental UK SAF Mandate, wider measures in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act 2026 - including the Revenue Certainty Mechanism, sustainability criteria, and reporting and compliance requirements - and recent work of the Jet Zero Taskforce on SAF, hydrogen, and greenhouse gas removals.
Areas for discussion include the way forward for increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel, alongside strategy and practicalities for putting in place conditions that can foster investment, support delivery, and drive supply chain development. Attendees will consider questions around cost impacts, deliverability of targets, investor confidence, and international competitiveness.
The role of newer technologies and carbon removal pathways within the UK’s wider approach to aviation decarbonisation will also be considered, assessing how these pathways can complement near-emissions reduction measures, as well as their feasibility, cost, timelines to commercial implementation and role in the pathway to net zero.
Delegates will also look at questions around the coordination of policy frameworks in practice, including the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, international frameworks, and planning and regulatory processes.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel - production, supply chains & use
The agenda examines implications of the SAF Act and the Revenue Certainty Mechanism for domestic production, investor confidence, supply chain development, and airline costs, alongside progress towards SAF Mandate obligations. We expect discussion on remaining areas where greater policy clarity and workable financing models for SAF production facilities may be needed to support investment and delivery. Delegates will also examine how concerns could be addressed around infrastructure readiness and workforce capacity to meet 2030 targets. Further potential risks to delivery will also be assessed, in areas such as feedstock availability, construction and commissioning timelines, and overall market readiness.
Attendees will consider latest thinking on implications of price differences between SAF and conventional jet fuels for project viability, operating costs, ticket prices and route economics, including how these costs may be reflected in fares. Operational and compliance issues for airlines operating across multiple jurisdictions will be examined, alongside implications for international competitiveness, carbon leakage, and progress towards international alignment on emissions.
Further areas for discussion include the balance between domestic production and imports, in the context of the Department for Transport’s call for evidence on crop-derived SAF, including sustainability criteria, lifecycle emissions, land use, and the role such fuels may play within the wider SAF mix.
Regulation, market frameworks & transparency
Further discussion will look at the wider regulatory and commercial framework for decarbonisation. Attendees will consider developments arising from the UK ETS Authority’s consultation on the treatment of SAF, alongside implications of the Civil Aviation Authority’s new guidance on publishing emissions data and reporting requirements for airlines and airports.
Practical steps will be assessed, including what may be needed to support transparency, affordability, competitiveness, and long-term confidence across airlines, airports, fuel producers, investors, and related supply chains. Delegates will consider the operation in practice of monitoring, reporting and verification frameworks, including how they can support effective implementation while avoiding unnecessary complexity or delay. The conference will also examine carbon pricing, compliance mechanisms, and international schemes - such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation - in terms of cost pressures, investment decisions, and operational planning, and their implications for maintaining credible emissions reductions.
Innovation, technology pathways & delivery in practice
The agenda will assess how more immediate emissions reduction measures and longer-term technology choices can be joined up. Areas for discussion include operational efficiencies across airlines and airports, such as improvements in aircraft performance, flight operations and airspace modernisation, and their contribution to emissions reduction while longer-term solutions are developed.
Further discussion will consider the extent to which current policy measures - including SAF uptake - are sufficient to deliver absolute emissions reductions, and where additional measures or alternative pathways may be required over the medium to longer-term.
Alongside this, attendees will also consider practical implications of the Jet Zero Taskforce’s latest work on hydrogen-powered aircraft and greenhouse gas removals. We expect discussion on infrastructure requirements, workforce and supply chain readiness, commercial viability, and the anticipated pace of deployment, including timelines for hydrogen aircraft entering commercial service and the potential scale and role of removals in aviation, alongside how these approaches interact with wider emissions reduction strategies.
Infrastructure, planning & airport development
The relationship between decarbonisation objectives and airport expansion and planning decisions will be considered, in the context of the ongoing review of the Airports National Policy Statement and the proposed expansion of several major UK airports - such as Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton. Discussion will consider how these developments affect planning processes and timelines, infrastructure requirements, environmental assessment processes and delivery timelines.
Further discussion is expected on the role of airports in enabling decarbonisation on the ground, including what may be required to support investment in energy infrastructure, the electrification of ground operations, and coordination with airlines and fuel suppliers.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
