OPERATIONS
Discussions about sustainable aviation usually start with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which has gained a foothold in business aviation. Aligned with an industry goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, FBOs also are adopting environmentally friendly business practices ranging from installing solar arrays to replacing plastic straws.
Clay Lacy Aviation provides SAF as well as renewable diesel fuel at its FBOs at Van Nuys Airport and John Wayne Orange County Airport in California. Credit: Clay Lacy Aviation
In November 2021, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), which represents FBOs and other aviation service companies, unveiled a Sustainability Standard for Aviation Businesses. The standard describes a self-certification process that companies can follow to lower their carbon footprints. More recently, NBAA released guidance documents for a new Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program. The trend toward sustainability is gathering steam even as the industry faces logistical challenges in delivering SAF to aircraft on the ramp and the specter of regulatory enforcement of emissions reductions. A blender’s tax credit that would incentivize further SAF production, widely supported by business aviation, was contained in the Biden administration’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act that has been stalled in the U.S. Senate since late 2021. Lawmakers are considering reviving pieces of the legislation, including one focused on the climate and clean energy. “We think [SAF] is a huge part of our ability to move toward our sustainability goals,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said during a Jan. 20 webcast. The blender’s tax credit “may be something that can go forward legislatively . . . in this Congress or in future Congresses. We believe it should be sooner rather than later.”
On another front, the industry is fending off an arbitrary shutoff of 100 Low Lead (100LL) avgas used by piston-powered aircraft. Last December, several general aviation (GA) associations asked the FAA to intervene after a “rushed” decision by the board of supervisors of Santa Clara County, California, to ban the sale of 100LL at two airports—Reid-Hillview (KRHV) and San Martin (E16)—as of Jan. 1. Initially, two of the four fuel providers at KRHV switched to offering Swift UL94 unleaded avgas, which only some piston aircraft can use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Jan. 12 it will evaluate whether emissions from piston-engine aircraft using leaded fuel endanger public health, a prelude to requiring new fuel performance standards under the Clean Air Act. Piston aircraft that operate on leaded fuel are the largest remaining source of lead emissions into the air, the EPA says. The agency plans to issue a proposed endangerment finding for public review this year and take final action in 2023. Through the Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative, the FAA and industry have worked for a decade to develop an unleaded avgas “with the least impact on the existing piston-engine aircraft fleet.” Safely transitioning the piston component of the industry to unleaded avgas is “very important” to its sustainability aspirations, said Megan Eisenstein, NATA managing director of industry and regulatory affairs. “The Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will evaluate whether lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft endanger human health and welfare,” Eisenstein said. “We’ve been waiting for this for years now. There are other fuel solutions out there like 94UL, but that only meets a certain percentage of the piston fleet. This issue is becoming more and more important. I’m at least on a call once a week about it.” Sustaining SAF While leaded avgas faces extinction, SAF for jets and turboprops is gaining ground. Signature Flight Support, refiner Neste and fractional fleet operator NetJets announced the arrival of a “continuous supply” of SAF at Signature’s San Francisco International Airport and London Luton Airport FBOs in late 2020.
An engineer with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory displays a sample of sustainable aviation fuel. Credit: NREL
In December 2021, Signature counted seven airports—including in California, Texas and London—at which it provides a permanent supply of SAF, with more locations planned. It had pumped 5 million gal. since September 2020. “We continue to pump thousands of gallons per day and our commitment is only growing,” Marty Kretchman, Signature’s senior vice president of operations planning, told BCA. Among other FBO chains, Atlantic Aviation’s location at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) announced in April 2021 it would replace 100% of its fossil-based diesel fuel with renewable diesel to power its ground support equipment. On Jan. 27, Atlantic Aviation said it now offers SAF for retail sale at LAX and expects SAF eventually will account for 8% of its total jet-fuel volume there. A “drop-in” fuel, SAF has a similar chemical composition to fossil fuels and can be pumped and stored within an FBO’s existing fuel infrastructure. It contains the same hydrocarbons and produces the same emissions as fossil-based kerosene, but derives its hydrocarbons from more sustainable sources—such as used or waste cooking oils, tallow, waste biomass and municipal solid waste—resulting in a net reduction of emissions when compared to fossil-based jet fuel on a lifecycle basis.
Last year, Clay Lacy Aviation installed a 500-kW solar array covering 30,000 sq. ft. of roof space at its headquarters, hangar and maintenance facilities at Van Nuys Airport. Credit: Clay Lacy Aviation
SAF refined from sustainable feedstocks is certified under ASTM D7566, a standard specification for aviation turbine fuel containing synthesized hydrocarbons, and then blended with fossil jet fuel and certified under ASTM D1655, which defines properties of Jet A fuel. “At this point, it can be delivered as a drop-in product to existing fuel farms and airplane wings,” explains aviation sustainability rating company 4AIR. “There are a lot of myths,” about the composition of SAF, and whether it can be pumped safely into working jets, noted NATA President and CEO Timothy Obitts in a video. “SAF is Jet A; it is certified as ASTM D1655, with the same carbon-chain molecule,” he assured. Sun Air Jets started selling SAF at its Camarillo Airport, California, FBO in March 2021. “Our first experience was that the fuel is sitting here, but no one was quite certain they wanted to take it,” Sun Air President and CEO Brian Counsil recounted to BCA. “Is it going to hurt my engines? What is it? Does it leave a residue? It’s made out of recycled cooking oil—does it smell like fried chicken? The people you had to first convince were the pilots, then you can get through to aircraft owners, who want to be more sustainable.”
The 4AIR interactive map of SAF locations serving business aviation shows them clustered in California, with other locations spread across the U.S. Credit: 4AIR
The company began using SAF for its managed charter fleet, then signed on a large customer at its Camarillo base “once their corporate leadership realized the benefits of SAF and the carbon-offsetting attributable to it,” Counsil said. “And then the FBO transient customers—programs like NetJets, XOJET and some of the others—they wanted to start to take SAF.” As of late 2021, SAF represented 10% of Sun Air’s fuel sales. Clay Lacy Aviation provides SAF as well as renewable diesel fuel at its FBOs at Van Nuys Airport and John Wayne Orange County Airport in California through an agreement with World Fuel Services. The company sold 75,000 gal. of SAF from April through December 2021; this year, it has committed to taking at least 200,000 gal., said Scott Cutshall, senior vice president of business operations.
At the NBAA-BACE conference in Las Vegas in October 2021, business aviation association executives committed to the goal of goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Credit: Bill Carey
“We’re seeing the most interest from the corporate flight departments,” Cutshall explained. “I think that’s for two reasons. One, the parent corporations already have sustainability initiatives and so this is a way for the flight department to now participate in the corporation’s sustainability initiatives. And now that [SAF] is actually available in a number of locations, they can budget for it and plan to uplift it. [Also] Flexjet, a large fractional operator, has been buying quite a bit. Between the corporate flight departments and Flexjet, we’re really starting to see the interest build.” As of Jan. 25, there were 24 U.S. and eight European FBOs that either offered SAF or had announced they would offer it, according to 4AIR. The rating company’s interactive map of SAF locations serving business aviation (https://www.4air.aero/saf-map) shows them clustered in California, with other locations spread across the U.S. Aviation industry sources attribute the concentration of sites to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), an emissions-trading scheme that incentivizes the production and use of low-carbon transportation fuels, and physical proximity of SAF infrastructure. In 2018, biofuel supplier World Energy acquired a former crude-oil refinery in Paramount, California, near Los Angeles. The company is investing a reported $350 million to convert the facility for commercial production of SAF, renewable diesel and renewable gasoline complying with the LCFS. Avfuel Corp. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Finland-based Neste announced a distribution partnership in January 2021 that calls for Neste to provide a continuous supply of SAF “in volumes able to meet the growing demand” of Avfuel’s customers, including FBOs, airports and flight departments. Monterey Jet Center, an Avfuel-branded FBO in Monterey, California, was the launch customer. More recently, Ross Aviation said it accepted its first load of Neste MY SAF from Avfuel on Jan. 14 for its FBO at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport near Palm Springs, California. Ross plans to supply SAF at 18 other FBOs. Neste said it will be able to produce 515 million gal. of SAF per year by the end of 2023, primarily at its facilities in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Singapore.
“Neste is building an unparalleled, global SAF distribution network for business aviation with our partners Signature Flight Support, Avfuel, Jet Aviation and World Fuel Services,” the company said in response to a BCA inquiry. “Together, we have established a continuous supply of SAF to 14 FBOs in the U.S. and three FBOs in Europe, with more to come in both markets. Additionally, Neste is supplying SAF to leading commercial and cargo airlines at some of the world’s biggest airports, including at San Francisco International Airport.” Still, more needs to be done to build out a nationwide SAF infrastructure, industry sources advise. “SAF certainly has challenges as it scales [ranging] from investment and production to cost and availability of feedstocks, along with new pathways and price parity,” Eisenstein said. “SAF is still limited in production,” she noted. “There is only so much supply to go around between various FBOs and corporate and airline customers. The investment in new production from current and new feedstocks will need to continue to grow in order to allow FBOs to scale up their SAF offerings. Another issue is the cost parity [with fossil-based Jet-A]. That’s a large component, and localized state incentives are likely to help concentrate much of that distribution into certain states and regions.” The Green Attribute To understand the business case for SAF, which currently costs about a dollar or more per gallon over conventional Jet A, it helps to separate the physical SAF product from the “green attribute,” Cutshall said. “The green attribute is how you as an end user, the person buying [the fuel], is able to claim as an emission reduction in end-of-year reporting,” Cutshall explained. “What happens in reality at FBOs is the SAF goes into the tank, mixes with everything and we’re just pumping it. If somebody says they would like SAF, they pay the premium—it costs about a dollar more per gallon. On their invoice it says sustainable aviation fuel. If they need it, we can provide backup paperwork that describes the blend, the date of manufacture. When they go to do their end-of-year reporting of the total gallons of fuel bought, the SAF has a lower carbon footprint than the equal amount of Jet A, so they can claim the emission reduction.” “In reality, that guy at my FBO that day may or may not have gotten the actual molecule to burn, because it might have been long-since pumped,” Cutshall added. “But I keep a book inventory of my SAF, of how much I can sell. Separating the green attribute from the molecule is the first thing everybody needs to get their heads around. If you don’t pay the premium for the green attribute, you can’t claim the reduction even though you may have burned the product.” The concept of separating the physical product from its environmental benefit underpins FBO book-and-claim programs. Through book-and-claim, an operator flying from an airport that does not have SAF available can purchase—or book—a specific quantity from an FBO that does supply SAF, pay the premium and claim the emissions-reduction credit. The supplying FBO takes the green attribute off its books, and an equivalent amount of SAF is delivered elsewhere in the system. Until SAF becomes widely available, business aviation is relying on book-and-claim to spur demand, Eisenstein said. Within the Business Aviation Coalition for Sustainable Aviation Fuel “we talk a lot about how book-and-claim can help build out this market,” she related. “The supply right now is primarily on the West Coast and that’s mainly due to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which is incentivizing the delivery there. Only aircraft based out there can physically uplift it. That’s why book-and-claim is a way to get it out into other places.” Signature Flight Support, Avfuel and Jet Aviation launched book-and-claim programs in late 2021. Clay Lacy Aviation is not currently engaged in book-and-claim, said Cutshall, who argued that a centralized accounting system run by a third party or industry grouping is needed to manage the transactions. “I think book-and-claim is what is available today for people who do not travel to locations where SAF is in physical supply, which is primarily the Western U.S.,” Cutshall said. “As more refineries come on line, I think book-and-claim will fade out over a long period of time because people want to take physical delivery [of SAF].” Sustainable Aviation Facilities Cutshall helped develop NATA’s Sustainability Standard for Aviation Businesses, and Clay Lacy Aviation was the first company to certify to the standard in December 2021. In January, Clay Lacy became the first company to receive 4AIR’s “Facilities Neutral” rating, validating its facilities have operated carbon neutral since 2019. The NATA standard provides member companies with a self-certification process they can follow to reduce carbon-dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions in their operations. A first requirement for a company is to calculate its carbon footprint as a baseline for future comparison. “A couple of FBOs that were part of the beta test process of the standard completely removed all plastic water bottles and only offer boxed water,” Eisenstein said. “Some folks have phased out plastic items such as straws and coffee stirrers—it can be little things. Some FBOs, not many, have installed solar panels, which is a huge investment. Some people have installed motion-sensor lighting in hangars.” Clay Lacy has two FBOs, at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) and John Wayne Orange County Airport in Southern California, and a third is planned to open at Waterbury-Oxford Airport, Connecticut, in 2023. Last year, the company installed a 500-kW solar array covering 30,000 sq. ft. of roof space at its headquarters, hangar and maintenance facilities at KVNY. The system generates 750,000 kW-hr. of electricity annually. Through a partnership with Israel-based developer Eviation, Clay Lacy also plans to provide charging stations for Eviation’s nine-passenger Alice all-electric aircraft, scheduled to enter service in 2024. Cutshall said the company is embracing sustainability now to preempt future regulations and demonstrate leadership within the industry. “The third reason is we felt it’s the right thing to do,” he added. “I’m not saying convert all of your Jet A buying to 100% SAF tomorrow,” Cutshall said. “Start with small steps. Start with transitioning to LED lights; start with transitioning to installing low-flow water fixtures; start with measuring your [carbon] baseline. If everybody did that, the collective impact would be significant.”
—Based in Washington, DC, Bill Carey covers avionics, air traffic management and aviation safety for Aviation Week. A former daily newspaper reporter, he has covered the commercial, business and military aviation segments as well as unmanned aircraft systems. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2017, he worked for Aviation International News and Avionics and Rotor & Wing magazines.
