News Extra September 2026

Japan Airlines and Climeworks Solutions have announced what they describe as the world’s first purchase agreement for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits designed to meet the requirements of ICAO’s CORSIA carbon scheme. As one of the first airlines to retire large-scale CORSIA-eligible credits, JAL says its helping establish a new market and explore how high-integrity carbon removals, including technologies such as Direct Air Capture can complement aviation’s broader decarbonisation efforts, and will purchase Climeworks DAC credits as part of a wider CDR portfolio.

Aether Fuels reports it has successfully deployed its 2.5 barrel-per-day Aurora technology to produce ASTM-specification synthetic aviation fuel using renewable natural gas (RNG) and industrial CO2, which it says is a first for a North American company. Aether has a pipeline of commercial projects, including Project Beacon in Singapore that aims to produce 2,000 tonnes of SAF per year from industrial waste and biomethane. It has MoUs in place with Singapore Airlines, JetBlue and FlyORO.

International Airlines Group (IAG) has selected OpenAirlines’ SkyBreathe fuel-efficiency platform to support more than 600 aircraft of its combined fleet. The platform will provide a common data and reporting framework across IAG airlines Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling, which will help them identify and monitor fuel-saving opportunities, measure performance and share successful initiatives.

SkyNRG has chosen Technip Energies, Sasol and Topsoe as key partners for the FEED phase of its Project Wigeon SAF facility in Washington State as it moves towards a future FID. The facility is designed to produce 50 million gallons (143 kt) of SAF annually using RNG and Fischer-Tropsch technology. Key permitting has been secured, says SkyNRG, and start-up is targeted for 2031. Meanwhile, Emerson has been awarded a contract by Technip to provide automation technologies for the SkyNRG DSL-01 SAF facility now under construction in the Netherlands.

The SkyTeam airline alliance has launched the fifth edition of The Aviation Challenge, which brings together airlines and industry stakeholders to develop, implement and scale solutions aimed at reducing aviation’s environmental impact. The 2026 theme is ‘Collective Momentum’, to reflect the focus on collaboration and the role of shared action in driving sustainability progress. Participants are to submit their entries by the beginning of November, with winners across 21 award categories announced in January 2027.

Norway’s NOEMI Aerospace, which is developing a fully electric amphibious aircraft for regional passenger transport, with the ability to operate from both water and conventional runways, has signed a MoU with SkyHop Aviation, India’s first dedicated commercial seaplane operator. The deal will see the introduction of up to 15 NOEMI aircraft into the Indian market. Entry into service for the aircraft is targeted for 2030.

Heart Aerospace has unveiled the ES-36, a 36-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner, which adds six more passenger seats and 1,415 pounds of payload capacity to the previously announced ES-30. The ES-36 also moves from four to two nacelles and propellers, which the company says will reduce the number of propulsion components to maintain, so lowering maintenance costs. First flight of the ES-36 is targeted for the second half of 2028 and entry into service in 2031. US charter air carrier JSX has announced a deposit-backed purchase agreement for 50 ES-36 aircraft, with purchase rights for 50 more.

ARC-Bio, a JV between Bioénergie AECN and Alder Renewables, reports a successful demonstration of  a pathway to produce SAF from Canadian forestry residues through refinery co-processing. The project upgraded fast pyrolysis oil from forestry residues by Bioénergie AECN in Quebec into barrel-scale quantities of Alder Renewable Crude (ARC). This biocrude was then processed in a fluid catalytic cracking pilot unit that simulates commercial refinery operations at sites worldwide.

Singapore-based FlyORO Technologies has signed a Letter of Intent with ICAO to join the ICAO Finvest Hub, an initiative to connect aviation decarbonisation projects with sources of investment. FlyORO will contribute its operating experience in modular SAF blending solutions, the step at which certified neat SAF is combined with conventional jet fuel to produce a finished, specification-compliant product that can be uplifted into an aircraft.

France’s Haffner Energy has launched SB-HEFA (solid biomass to HEFA), a process for producing renewable diesel and SAF based on its proprietary thermolysis technology, which directly converts solid biomass into liquid without going through syngas. The company says SB-HEFA can provide a more direct, simpler and cost-effective route to SAF production than alternative technologies. It estimates the CAPEX of a SB-HEFA facility could be around a one-third that of a solid biomass to liquid fuels conversion chain based on Fischer-Tropsch or methanol synthesis.

SAF technology provider Axens has signed a MoU with Hong Kong-based EPC services provider Wison Engineering to explore collaboration opportunities on global SAF and eSAF projects, including the Fischer-Tropsch pathway. The objective, they say, is to develop eSAF solutions designed for greater cost and schedule predictability, rapid deployment and efficient replication across global markets. Axens has also been selected by Canadian SAF producer Expander Energy to provide its advanced FT Liquid Upgrading technology at two developments in Alberta and British Columbia.

The Polish Association for Decarbonisation of Aviation (PSDL) has published a report that assesses the actual carbon footprint of the Polish aviation sector, provide forecasts through to 2032 and create a shared reference point for discussions on decarbonisation. The report shows that passenger numbers will rise from 66.1 million in 2025 to almost 86 million in 2032. CO2 emissions related to passenger traffic will increase from 5.01 million tonnes to around 5.2 million tonnes. Emissions per passenger are expected to fall by 4.5% due to fleet renewal, the increasing use of SAF and operational efficiency improvements.

The German press agency, dpa, reports the Federal Ministry of Transport is to impose penalties of €1,332 ($1,500) per tonne of SAF that airlines fail to use as required by the EU’s ReFuelEU SAF mandate. Applicable from the start of 2025, the mandate requires a 2% minimum blend of SAF be available at EU airports,  then rising to 6%, with a separate 1.2% eSAF requirement, in 2030.