The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the release of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Matchmaker platform, to facilitate SAF procurement between airlines and SAF producers by matching requests for SAF supply with offers. When there is a match, IATA said, airlines and suppliers can connect and take their negotiation offline to agree on specific terms including price and payment terms.
Specifically, the SAF Matchmaker addresses three critical issues namely efficiency, connectivity and visibility. IATA explained that the central platform will simplify SAF procurement and make connection between parties easier and faster without additional fees.
Further, SAF producers and suppliers can post available or planned SAF volumes while airlines are able to register their interest in purchasing shown or desired SAF volumes, and subsequent trades will take place outside the platform.
IATA further explained that the platform carries comprehensive information regarding the available SAF, such as volumes, feedstock used, the location and technology of production, the emissions reductions, as well as compliance with the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) or the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED).
“To reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, we need an accessible, transparent, liquid, and efficient SAF market. The SAF Matchmaker is another example of the work that IATA is putting in place to create a fully functioning market for SAF. The SAF Matchmaker platform will accelerate the uptake of SAF by reducing the costs and complexity that airlines face when searching for SAF suppliers,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist.
According to IATA, the SAF Matchmaker supports spot purchases as well as offtake agreements and is initially available to airlines and SAF suppliers only, and later other SAF buyers such as non-aviation corporations will also be able to participate.
The SAF Matchmaker is hosted on the Aviation Energy Hub, a centralized digital space designed to provide the aviation industry with access to practical tools that support aviation energy management.
