IATA releases ‘SAF Matchmaker’ connecting airlines and SAF suppliers

In a revolutionary move, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the release of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Matchmaker platform, to facilitate SAF procurement between airlines and SAF producers by matching requests for SAF supply with offers.

Under the new facility, when there is a match, airlines and suppliers can connect and take their negotiation offline to agree on specific terms including price and payment terms.

Specifically, the SAF Matchmaker addresses three critical issues – efficiency, connectivity and visibility.

Efficiency: The availability of a central platform will simplify SAF procurement by making it easier and faster for all parties to connect without additional fees. It will therefore facilitate further development of the voluntary market for SAF purchasing.

Connectivity: SAF producers and suppliers can post available or planned SAF volumes while airlines are able to register their interest in purchasing shown or desired SAF volumes. Subsequent trades will take place outside the platform.

Visibility: The platform carries comprehensive information regarding the available SAF, such as volumes, feedstock used, the location and technology of production, the emissions reductions, as well as compliance with the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) or the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED).

“To reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, we need an accessible, transparent, liquid, and efficient SAF market. The SAF Matchmaker is another example of the work that IATA is putting in place to create a fully functioning market for SAF. The SAF Matchmaker platform will accelerate the uptake of SAF by reducing the costs and complexity that airlines face when searching for SAF suppliers,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA Senior VP Sustainability and Chief Economist.

The SAF Matchmaker supports spot purchases as well as offtake agreements and is initially available to airlines and SAF suppliers only. In due course, other SAF buyers such as non-aviation corporations will also be able to participate.

The SAF Matchmaker is hosted on the Aviation Energy Hub, a centralized digital space designed to provide the aviation industry with access to practical tools that support aviation energy management.