London Heathrow is “stepping up” its decarbonisation plans with a new goal to increase alternative aviation fuels to 5.6 per cent of its total fuel mix in 2026.
This target is two percentage points higher than the UK government’s “sustainable” aviation fuel (SAF) mandate, which has increased to 3.6 per cent for 2026 after being introduced in January last year.
The 5.6 per cent target also represents a notable increase on the airport’s previous goal for alternative aviation fuels to make up 3 per cent of all fuel usage in 2025.
The UK hub had previously announced £86 million in incentives for airlines to encourage the uptake of alternative aviation fuels. The airport did not respond to BTN Europe’s questions about whether it would increase funding to meet its new target.
Heathrow said in a statement that achieving its latest goal would cut carbon emissions from flights in 2026 by more than 600,000 tonnes over the lifecycle of the fuel. The airport’s future targets include reaching SAF usage of at least 11 per cent by 2030.
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 per cent 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.”