SAF & CORSIA COMPLIANCE · Aero Support Group FZCO · Updated 23 October 2026
ReFuelEU Aviation
- Who: aircraft operators with at least 500 commercial passenger or 52 all-cargo departures from Union airports in the previous period; fuel suppliers at Union airports; and Union airports above 800,000 passengers or 100,000 tonnes of freight (Article 3).
- Minimum shares (Annex I): SAF 2% from 2025, 6% from 2030, 20% from 2035, 34% from 2040, 42% from 2045 and 70% from 2050, with a synthetic fuel sub-target starting at 1.2% average in 2030–2031.
- Anti-tankering (Article 5): yearly uplift at each Union airport must be at least 90% of the fuel required, unless justified for fuel safety.
- Reporting: fuel suppliers by 14 February; aircraft operators by 31 March to the competent authority and EASA, verified by an independent ETS verifier (Article 8).
- Penalties (Article 12): for operators, at least twice the yearly average fuel price per tonne times the non-tankered quantity.
UK SAF Mandate
- Started in 2025 at 2% of jet fuel, rising to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040, then held.
- A HEFA cap applies from 2027, and a power-to-liquid obligation starts in 2028, reaching 3.5% in 2040.
- The obligation falls on jet fuel suppliers; buy-out prices are £4.70 per litre for the main obligation and £5.00 per litre for PtL.
- The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act 2026 created a revenue certainty mechanism for SAF producers, funded by a levy on suppliers. The first allocation round is planned for 2027.
EU ETS for aviation
- Scope until the start of 2027: flights within the EEA and departures to the UK and Switzerland.
- Free allocation ended in 2026; allowances are now fully auctioned.
- SAF allowances: 20 million allowances cover part of the price gap for eligible fuels uplifted since 1 January 2024.
- Non-CO2 effects: monitoring and reporting began on 1 January 2025.
- Proposal of 17 July 2026: from 2029, cover departures to non-EEA airports within 5,000 km of Frankfurt, deducting CORSIA costs. This is still going through the legislative process.
ICAO CORSIA
- Monitoring, reporting and verification has applied since 1 January 2019 to operators emitting more than 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year on international flights.
- The first phase runs 2024–2026 and the second phase 2027–2035. From 2024 the baseline is 85% of 2019 emissions.
- Annual cycle: verified emissions report to the State by 30 April; States notify offsetting requirements by 30 November.
- Offsetting is met by cancelling CORSIA eligible emissions units. CORSIA eligible fuels, certified by an approved scheme, reduce the requirement.
- Annex 16 Volume IV, 3rd edition, is expected to apply from 1 January 2027.
- Read more: CORSIA second phase 2027: what changes for airlines.
Where operators struggle
- Fuel data held by different departments in different formats, so ReFuelEU, ETS and CORSIA reports do not reconcile.
- Emissions monitoring plans not updated after fleet or network changes.
- SAF purchase claims without the sustainability documentation needed for ETS allowances or CORSIA eligibility.
- No documented justification for tankering below 90% at specific airports.
- Verification findings repeated year after year because root causes are not addressed.
How ASG helps
- Obligation mapping by route network and fleet across ReFuelEU, UK SAF Mandate, EU ETS and CORSIA.
- Emissions monitoring plan development and updates.
- Fuel data processes that feed all four schemes from one source.
- Tankering analysis and justification records for Article 5.
- Pre-verification reviews and corrective actions for verifier findings.
- For fuel suppliers: SAF supply, reporting and documentation processes.
Conclusion
Environmental compliance in aviation is now a data discipline. Airlines that hold one reliable record of fuel uplift, burn and SAF purchases can meet ReFuelEU, the UK mandate, the ETS and CORSIA without duplicated effort. ASG helps build that record and the processes around it.
Frequently asked questions
Regulation (EU) 2023/2405, which requires fuel suppliers at Union airports to supply rising minimum shares of SAF, from 2% in 2025 to 70% in 2050, and requires operators to uplift at least 90% of the fuel they need at each Union airport.
By 31 March each year, to the competent authority and EASA, with the report verified by an independent ETS verifier.
ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. Operators monitor and report CO2 emissions on international flights and offset growth above the baseline using eligible emissions units or eligible fuels.
Currently it covers flights within the EEA and departures to the UK and Switzerland. A July 2026 Commission proposal would extend it from 2029 to departures to non-EEA airports within 5,000 km of Frankfurt.
Jet fuel suppliers must supply SAF at 2% in 2025, rising to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040, with a HEFA cap and a power-to-liquid obligation from 2028.
Key takeaways
- ReFuelEU: 2% SAF in 2025, 6% in 2030, 70% in 2050
- Operators must uplift 90% of required fuel at each Union airport
- UK SAF Mandate: 10% in 2030, 22% in 2040
- CORSIA second phase runs 2027–2035
- EU ETS extension proposed from 2029
Need clarity on your SAF and emissions obligations?
Tell us your network and fleet. ASG will map which schemes apply and what evidence you need.