London Heathrow Airport has set the ambitious target of exceeding the UK government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) target by 2% in 2026. This year, regulations stipulate that 3.6% of all aviation fuel used in the UK should be sustainable. However, Heathrow is going further with a 5.6% target, backed by an £80 million fund.
Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability, said:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is not a hypothetical concept for the future, it’s already producing real impact in 2026. Heathrow is leading the way globally, with 17% of the world’s SAF supply in 2024 used at the airport. SAF is a key lever on aviation’s journey to net zero by 2050, and a key element of Heathrow’s Net Zero Plan. Our incentive delivers real progress today, as well as a future promise for tomorrow.
The initiative forms part of Heathrow’s wider sustainability plans, which will also see it exceed UK government mandates. By 2030, 10% of fuel used in the country must be SAF, but Heathrow plans to scale their targets to achieve 11% SAF use that same year. The £80 million will help make SAF more competitive with traditional kerosene fuels while reducing the cost impact on airlines — a common criticism of existing SAF mandates.
Overall, the plans will see 350,000 tonnes of SAF used at Heathrow in 2026. This results in a carbon saving of approximately 600,000 tonnes, the equivalent of 950,000 economy passengers flying a round-trip between Heathrow and JFK.
This article was originally published on our sister site, Aerospace Tech Review. Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 to discuss sustainable aviation.
For more like this, see:
