Turkey to set SAF mandates for airlines and suppliers

Turkey’s civil aviation authority announced plans to impose mandates on airlines and jet fuel suppliers to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), aiming to cut aviation emissions by 5% by 2030.
This initiative supports compliance with the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation’s emission reduction program, which becomes mandatory in 2027.
Under the new regulations, airlines operating international flights involving Turkey must use enough SAF to achieve the 5% emissions reduction target. Jet fuel suppliers in Turkey will also be required to source SAF to meet this goal, including domestic oil refiners like Tupras.
The authority will set and publish minimum emission reduction targets annually before the end of the third quarter. It will enforce penalties on airlines and fuel suppliers that fail to comply.
Additionally, airlines must load 90% of their required SAF for international flights within Turkey.
According to the International Energy Agency, aviation accounts for 2.5% of global energy-related CO2 emissions.
Tupras, Turkey’s largest oil refiner, plans to produce 20,000 metric tons of SAF at a major plant by 2026 and aims to increase production to 400,000 tons by constructing a new unit at its Izmir refinery, pending final investment approval.
Local biofuel company DB Tarimsal Enerji also targets 100,000 tons of SAF production at a new facility.
Turkey’s jet fuel consumption declined by 4% last year to 6.26 million tons (approximately 135,000 barrels per day), according to the country’s energy regulator.