Access to fuel infrastructure Beyond fuel production, SAF infrastructure readiness both within and outside airports is an emerging area of focus highlighted by executives. Research conducted within the industry for the World Economic Forum’s December 2025 report, Turning Challenge into Opportunity: Supplier Voices from Heavy-Emitting Sectors, mapped the different options that fuel producers, suppliers and carriers have been taking to manage storage, blending, distribution and quality assurance, along with associated challenges and solutions. Overall, the number of airports receiving SAF molecules for the first time has increased, especially in North America. Among others, Houston, Newark, Washington DC, Portland and Vancouver airports received their first batches of SAF as part of ongoing collaborations with local airlines, fuel suppliers and logistics providers.33,34,35 Nevertheless, physical access to infrastructure and related charges can prove onerous for smaller SAF producers, leading to a number of innovative projects and new investments during 2025 to ease blending challenges. These included plans for the UK’s first independent SAF blending facility as part of a wider network of blending hubs, expected to be operational from 2026;36 and the opening of a first SAF blending terminal at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Australia.37Fuel specifications With a growing number of players involved and the resulting diversification of supply chains, fuel quality control and safety have come under increasing scrutiny. This prompted the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to raise awareness in February 2025 around the risks of out-of-specification jet fuel and list a number of recommendations that should be taken forward as the sector scales up. These recommendations include greater auditing and scrutiny of suppliers, especially new market entrants, increased training and blending away from airports.38 As SAF can be used in existing infrastructure – up to 10-50% blends for safety reasons, depending on the production pathway – aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel suppliers and governments continue to coordinate progress on fuel certification and testing. Their aim is to raise blending limits and ensure a growing number of fuels can be compatible with current pipeline, airport and aircraft infrastructure. Developments in the past year include higher blending thresholds for some SAF production pathways (announced following cross- industry work led by bp)39 and UK government funding for fuel testing, allocated to several projects in early 2026.402.2 Infrastructure readiness for SAF along the supply chain Hydrogen’s role in the air is recalibrated Access to reliable, affordable clean energy is increasingly shaping airport decarbonization pathways and the pace at which new aviation fuels beyond SAF are being deployed. In 2025, this dynamic became more visible as expectations around hydrogen aviation were recalibrated, both for aircraft and on-the-ground operations, reflecting a broader industry reassessment of hydrogen’s role in aviation decarbonization timelines. Airbus said the reason for its decision to postpone the development timeline for its hydrogen-powered aircraft41 was that the hydrogen ecosystem (production, distribution, storage and airport integration) is not yet sufficiently mature to support large-scale aircraft deployment. This assessment aligns with wider industry analysis,42 which downplays hydrogen’s near- to medium-term contribution to aviation’s net-zero pathway. Ground operations continue exploring hydrogen’s potential Nevertheless, airports are continuing to move forward pragmatically on hydrogen, where it could make operational sense. Across Europe, North America and Asia, hydrogen is increasingly being tested and deployed for ground support equipment, airside vehicles, refuelling systems and stationary power applications. For example: –In Europe, projects involving multiple airports, including initiatives such as OLGA and TULIPS, are advancing hydrogen-enabled ground operations, supported in 2025 by new research and testing capabilities at the UK’s Cranfield University.43 2.3 Access to clean energy and the role of hydrogen for airports and flight operations Global Aviation Sustainability Outlook 2026 17