Singapore & Thailand Gear Up for Greener Skies with Sustainable Aviation Fuel

The governments of Singapore and Thailand have announced major steps in accelerating the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of their aviation-decarbonisation strategies. Singapore’s new policy includes a fixed levy on departing flights aimed at funding SAF procurement and signalling a national target of 1 % SAF usage by 2026 rising to 3-5 % by 2030.

In parallel, Thailand is moving to establish its first national standard for SAF specifications, effective from January 1 next year, which will help ensure production and imports meet safety, quality and sustainability criteria.

Together, these efforts reflect broader regional ambition: Southeast Asia’s feedstock potential and strategic position mean it could supply about 12 % of global SAF demand by 2050, offering both climate-impact and economic opportunity.

Aviation is one of the harder-to-abate sectors, with sustainable aviation fuel considered the most credible near-term pathway to material Scope 3 emissions reductions for airlines and their corporate customers. Singapore's fixed-levy funding model and Thailand's move to a national SAF standard represent two of the more concrete SAF policies in the Asia-Pacific to date.

Southeast Asia's feedstock endowment - used cooking oil, palm-industry residues, agricultural waste streams - positions the region as a potential major supplier in a global SAF market that still faces significant supply constraints. The 12 percent global demand share cited for 2050 is achievable only if feedstock traceability, sustainability certification and lifecycle emissions accounting develop in parallel with production capacity.

For airlines, freight forwarders and corporate travel buyers, SAF is quickly moving from voluntary offset conversation to procurement decision. Cognitud's climate action, supply chain and operations, and sustainability due diligence teams help aviation-value-chain clients structure SAF sourcing strategies, model book-and-claim vs physical-supply trade-offs, and disclose progress against IATA, CORSIA and internal net-zero commitments in a way that stands up to investor and regulator scrutiny.