Heathrow Boosts SAF Incentive to Exceed UK Mandate in 2026

Heathrow Airport has announced an expansion of its Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) incentive scheme for 2026, setting a target to go approximately 2 % above the UK government’s SAF mandate. The initiative aims to encourage airlines using Heathrow to uplift more SAF, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of flights departing the UK’s busiest airport.

 

Under the enhanced scheme, Heathrow plans a 5.6 % SAF uplift in 2026 — up from the government’s 3.6 % mandate. The increased usage is expected to equate to around 350,000 tonnes of SAF, supported by a fund of more than £80 million to help airlines bridge the cost difference between traditional jet fuel and cleaner alternatives.

SAF is produced from sustainable feedstocks and can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by an average of over 70 % compared with conventional kerosene. By prioritising higher SAF usage, Heathrow says it could help cut up to 600,000 tonnes of carbon from flights in 2026 — roughly equivalent to the emissions from more than 950,000 round-trip economy passengers flying between Heathrow and New York’s JFK airport.

Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability, said the incentive scheme reinforces the airport’s role as a global leader in SAF adoption and a key driver of the aviation sector’s transition toward net-zero emissions by 2050. He highlighted that SAF is already being used at the airport at scale, with Heathrow accounting for about 17 % of global SAF supply usage in 2024.

The boosted SAF target builds on Heathrow’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes long-term plans to progressively increase sustainable fuel use and support innovations that reduce environmental impact across the aviation value chain.