Aviation innovation

Investing in aviation innovation

If we truly want to make the aviation sector sustainable, we must look beyond biofuels and invest in innovative solutions. The Future Friendly Fund is committed to developing emission-free aviation technology and breakthrough innovations that accelerate the transition to sustainable flight.

Why Biofuels Are Not a Solution

Sustainable Aviation Fuel made from biomass (SAF-B) is often presented as the solution for cleaner flying. But the reality is different:

• Distracts from the real solution: The focus on biofuels creates the impression that we can continue flying without change, while the real solution lies in short-term behavioral change (flying less) and accelerating truly sustainable innovations, such as synthetic fuels and emission-free aircraft in the long term.
• Lack of availability: Global SAF production is less than 0.3% of what is needed to make the aviation sector sustainable. Scaling up is not happening fast enough.
• Sustainability issues: Most SAF-B is made from animal fat and plant residues. This contributes to deforestation and biodiversity loss.
• Still harmful emissions: SAF-B reduces CO₂ emissions by 50 to 80%, but will never be completely emission-free.

E-fuels: Sustainable Solution with Obstacles

Synthetic fuels (e-fuels) offer a promising alternative. They are produced from hydrogen and CO₂ and can drastically reduce the CO₂e emissions of aircraft. However, investments in this technology lag, meaning scaling up is barely getting off the ground.

The problem? The production of e-fuels is expensive and requires enormous amounts of green energy. Without financial support and innovation, this technology remains out of reach for commercial aviation.

The Future Friendly Fund aims to change this by investing in research and development of e-fuels and other breakthrough innovations in aviation.

Electric flight for short distances

Research by CE Delft shows that battery-electric flight has the lowest climate impact for flights up to 1000 kilometers. Due to its high efficiency and the absence of non-CO₂ effects, electric flight is up to 70 percent cleaner than kerosene and much more economical than hydrogen or e-fuels. With enough green electricity, electric flight can even be comparable to train travel. More investment is needed to make this breakthrough possible, and the Future Friendly Fund is eager to contribute to it.