CJI London: How much does operating on SAF really cost

Too expensive, too complicated, too niche.  This is the perception many in the business aviation have of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

A panel at the Corporate Jet Investor London 2026 looked at these challenges to discuss what the industry can do to scale SAF adoption. Moderated by Oscar Henderson of SAF Investor, the session brought together Maureen Gautier of 4Air, Anant Jain of Azzera and Andrew Thomas of Vista.

The first question was to the audience: “How many of you fly on SAF?” Only five hands went up. The room had nearly 200 people. This poll alone told the story about the state of SAF in business aviation.

Turning to the panel, Henderson asked Thomas of Vista about their approach to SAF. “We’re not waiting for perfection,” he said. “We treat SAF the same way we treat safety. We include it in the product and inform them about it.” Vista ran at 2% of global fuel usage on SAF in 2024, reaching 6% on European routes.

The panel also quashed the perception that SAF is expensive. While conceding that it is definitely expensive on standalone basis, but no one is filling their fuel tanks with 100% SAF. Buying in volume, using airport incentives – Brussels covers up to 80% of the cost differential – and accounting for ETS allowance reductions can bring SAF very close to the price of Jet A-1.

Anant Jain said: “For a Global 6000, a 2% SAF blend works out to around $50 to $100 per flight hour. That’s a small cost relative to the whole flight.”

Offsetting solution through book and claim, purchasing SAF certificates independently of physical uplifting, was highlighted as particularly cost-effective, especially for European operators sourcing from the US market.

Maureen Gautier stressed the need for urgency to the room: “SAF is cheaper than it’s ever been. If you don’t start now, you’ll be unprepared when mandates and costs shift – and your chief financial officer will feel it first.”