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KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asia, including ÿÈÕ´óÈü, has the opportunity to become a key player in the global shift towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.

This is by leveraging the region's vast feedstock potential, said International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general Willie Walsh.

Walsh said countries in Southeast Asia such as ÿÈÕ´óÈü, Thailand and Vietnam are well-positioned to develop feedstocks that can be converted into sustainable fuels for the transport sector.

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"All of these countries have an opportunity to provide feedstock that can be used for the development of sustainable fuels. It's not just for air transport, it's also for road transport."

"When we look at Asia and Southeast Asia, we see lots of feedstock opportunities there," Walsh said during a media briefing at the IATA World Sustainability Symposium.

"So, there's an opportunity to develop a whole new industry, generate employment, reduce dependence on importing oil, and create a positive outcome for the environment as well," he added.

According to IATA's Global Feedstock Assessment for SAF Production – Outlook to 2050 report, the world could produce up to 400 million tonnes of SAF by 2050, a major increase from the estimated two million tonnes in 2025 but still short of the 500 million tonnes required for the industry to reach net zero carbon emissions.

The report highlights Southeast Asia as one of the most promising regions for feedstock availability due to its agricultural residues, palm oil mill effluent (POME), and municipal solid waste that can be processed into SAF.

Asean nations such as Indonesia and ÿÈÕ´óÈü together with China could supply about 240 million tonnes which is 15 per cent of the world's total biomass feedstock for SAF by 2050.

Biomass feedstock potential is projected to exceed 12,000 million tonnes by 2050 globally, but less than 35 per cent of that will realistically be available for bioenergy and biofuels due to competing needs in other industries.

The report estimates that around 1,580 million tonnes of feedstock could be allocated to SAF, enough to produce more than 300 million tonnes of bio-based SAF in 2050.

Walsh said Asia would play a world leading role in the transition to net zero by 2050.

"So, it's important that we have the opportunity to stay in touch with airlines in this region and the leaders in this region to understand what's happening here," he said.

He added that Cathay Pacific is a world leader in sustainability given their commitment to ensure the industry can transition to net zero.

IATA senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen added that Asia would most likely generate the solutions needed for airline decarbonisation over the coming decades.

"We think that this region is the main generator of the solutions we need for airlines' decarbonisation over the coming decades and that's good.

"We also look forward to the growth in demand for air transport services in this region, which we also think is going to be the predominant growth generator in our industry going forward," she said.

She added that while optimism remains high, the industry must take a clear-eyed view of where it stands today.

"We unfortunately have only 0.7 per cent of airlines' total fuel demand satisfied by SAF, and we are well short of these carbon credits that airlines need to buy under Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation."

"We sort of know what needs to be done. We know what the path should look like going forward. But we're really struggling getting world leaders to want it as much as we do," Thomsen said.