Airbus pilots SAF book-and-claim approach

Photo: Airbus

Airbus announced March 25 that it is taking a significant step toward scaling the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by testing a new book-and-claim approach.  

This initiative aims to boost both supply and demand for SAF worldwide, providing a flexible and scalable solution to accelerate SAF adoption. 

The first memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by SMBC Aviation Capital, followed by AerCap, Comlux, Luxaviation, Novespace, Rive Private Investment and SAF Aerogroup, which confirmed their interest in joining this collaborative initiative, reinforcing the industry-wide intention to increase SAF adoption. 

The book-and-claim approach allows a buyer to book a certain amount of SAF and claim the corresponding emission reduction, even if the fuel is used elsewhere.  

Through a pilot program running throughout 2025, Airbus will leverage this system to improve SAF accessibility for potential customers, particularly those with limited volumes and far from supply points.  

As a facilitator, Airbus will purchase SAF certificates and manage the associated sustainability attributes through the registry of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, a recognized sustainability certification body.  

These certificates will then be resold to interested customers, such as aircraft and helicopter operators, thereby stimulating short-term demand for SAF. 

The pilot program is expected to generate key insights into the capacity and robustness of this innovative book-and-claim mechanism.  

It will also assess market interest in third-party facilitation of such integrated SAF solutions. 

“Supporting the SAF book-and-claim mechanism is an immediate solution contributing to the emergence and scale-up of the global SAF market,” said Julien Manhes, the head of SAF and CO2 removals for Airbus.  

“For a lot of smaller operators, getting access to SAF can be challenging depending on the amount of SAF needed,” Manhes added. “Through this initiative, Airbus can simplify and derisk the process for operators and SAF suppliers by financially securing SAF certificates upfront and sharing them when customers need them. This is also a great opportunity to demonstrate that book and claim is reliable and its usage should be extended in voluntary and regulatory markets.”