Airline ticket price rises as a result of adopting green aviation fuel will be “negligible”, MPs have been told.
The claim was made on Monday by aviation minister Mike Kane, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, as the government’s mandate for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was debated in Parliament.
Responding to a question in the Commons by shadow transport minister Greg Smith about ticket prices, Kane said: “The government recognise[s] that SAF will be more expensive than traditional jet fuel and it is right that the costs, as we have agreed in the past, are borne by the polluters—they will not be borne by the government.
“I think the figures are that, by 2030, we expect tickets to be £4 more, which will be a 2% increase, and by 2040, we expect them to be £10 more, which will be a 5.5% increase.”
He added that before buses in Greater Manchester were re-regulated “a person could fly from Manchester airport to Dublin for £12.99 but they could not cross my conurbation on a bus and change transport providers for that amount of money.
“The shadow minister was right to raise that point, but the increase is negligible.”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, called for a ban short-haul domestic flights on journeys that can be done by rail in less than 2.5 hours.
“Such a ban already exists in France, so it would be good if the government at least looked at this,” she said.
“The cost of flying must be linked to the environmental cost. It is ridiculous that I can, at least on some journeys, fly 100 miles to a European city for less than it costs me to go by train from Bath to London.”
But Kane insisted that the Labour government had “absolutely no plans” to stop people flying.
He added: “SAF presents a key opportunity to decarbonise UK aviation and secure a long-term future for the sector.
“These draft regulations demonstrate how we can capitalise on this opportunity. Mandating the use of SAF has the potential to generate significant greenhouse gas savings, and ultimately play a pivotal role in achieving net zero.”
An annual SAF obligation will be imposed on every company that supplies jet fuel over a certain threshold in a specified period, according to Kane.
A tradeable certificate scheme will operate, whereby the supplier of SAF is rewarded in proportion to its greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
For fuel to be eligible for certificates, it must align with strict sustainability criteria and be made from sustainable wastes or residues, Kane outlined.
SAF produced from food, feed or energy crops will not be allowed.
Kane said: “To be eligible for certificates, the supplied SAF must meet strict sustainability criteria, including that it must be a residual waste or residue-derived biofuel, a recycled carbon fuel, a low-carbon hydrogen fuel or a power-to-liquid fuel.
The aim is for the SAF mandate to take effect on January 1, 2025.
It will require 2% of jet fuel to be made from sustainable sources next year, 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040.
Labour MP for Easington Grahame Morris called for SAF to be required to meet the “strictest sustainability standards” and preferably be sourced from the UK.
Transport secretary Louise Haigh then posted on X/Twitter: “Our ambitious SAF mandate was debated in Parliament today – marking a major step towards a sustainable aviation sector.
“With out SAF Bill, we’re securing the UK’s place as a global leader in decarbonisation and delivering on our mission to become a clean energy superpower.”