#Sustainability20: ICAO releases first-ever growth factor for airlines’ CORSIA offsetting requirements & more
Weekly Roundup - 19/12/25
Each Friday, we publish a round-up of the 20 most important stories on sustainable aviation. You can see previous editions of #Sustainability20 here.
Industry Updates
A new Asia-Pacific SAF report warns of pessimistic uptake by 2030 without urgent policy support, citing price gaps and unclear government targets as major blockers.
The US Department of Transportation has launched its first National Advanced Air Mobility Strategy, outlining 40 recommendations to support the development of AAM operations.
ICAO has confirmed that governments will soon notify airlines of their first carbon offsetting requirements under the CORSIA scheme, using newly calculated growth factors.
KLM is strongly backing a call for a Dutch national SAF fund to accelerate domestic production and make the fuel more affordable for the aviation sector.
SWISS and Kuehne+Nagel have partnered to support Synhelion’s synthetic aviation fuel, with a long-term purchase commitment to help scale up production.
CLIMATE WATCH: How climate breakdown is putting the world’s food in peril – The Guadian
Experts have warned that climate change is threatening global food security, with extreme weather projected to significantly reduce future crop yields.
Infrastructure and operational efficiencies
KLM has introduced new electric aircraft tow tractors at Schiphol Airport, marking a step towards its goal of zero-emission ground operations by 2030.
Athens International Airport will meet 100% of its electricity needs from self-generated renewable energy from January 2026, achieving its net-zero target early.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Neste and Cathay Group have agreed on the supply of SAF across three major regions to support the airline’s decarbonisation efforts.
Three companies have signed an MoU to explore an integrated low-carbon fuels platform in the US, aiming to boost SAF production and availability.
Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines have joined a project to pioneer SAF production in Hawai’i using locally grown camelina as a feedstock.
ATOBA Energy and Flying Forest have signed a letter of intent for a long-term SAF offtake agreement to support a new production facility in Finland.
Chinese company Jiaze New Energy has announced plans to invest $490 million in a green hydrogen alcohol aviation fuel project in Heilongjiang province.
New technology: Electric and Hydrogen
Wisk Aero has conducted the first flight of its Generation 6 autonomous eVTOL aircraft, beginning a new test phase for the candidate certification model.
Saudi Arabia’s GACA has signed an agreement with Archer to collaborate on establishing a regulatory pathway for eVTOL operations in the Kingdom.
Israeli company Air has unveiled a production-ready, uncrewed heavy-lift cargo eVTOL aircraft, announcing its first delivery to a customer.
EVIO Inc. has publicly launched its EVIO 810 hybrid-electric regional aircraft, with conditional orders for 450 units and support from Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Canada.
The Netherlands Aerospace Centre has opened a new Energy to Propulsion Test Facility for researching sustainable aircraft powertrains, including hydrogen technologies.
Swiss start-up Smartflyer is aiming for a first flight of its SF-1 light aircraft in late summer 2026, with prototypes for electric, hybrid, and hydrogen versions.
Beyond Aero has unveiled a feasibility study for a future factory to produce its BYA-1 hydrogen-electric business jet, conducted with Porsche Consulting.
Archer Aviation has announced plans for a new UK engineering hub and a key hire to support its collaboration on British defence programmes with Anduril and GKN.