Bangkok, Thailand - Policymakers, regulators, industry stakeholders and non-government organizations (NGO) gathered in Bangkok, Thailand for the South-East Asia Sustainable Aviation Fuel Initiative (SEASAFI) 2013 Workshop on Aviation Biofuel and Sustainable Agriculture, organised by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), in partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel User Group (SAFUG).
Welcoming delegates to Bangkok, in his opening comments, Mr. Martin Eran-Tasker, AAPA Technical Director said, "Air travel today provides global and regional mobility, by offering a safe, secure and convenient service to the travelling public and cargo shippers, whilst delivering wider social and economic benefits. The introduction of newer more fuel efficient aircraft, fuel conservation programmes, and improved airspace management all contribute towards reducing aviation's environmental impact. However, sustainable aviation fuels have the potential to deliver further significant reductions in the sector's long term carbon footprint." Mr. Eran-Tasker added, "The SEASAFI Workshop aims to raise regional awareness, and encourage the development of a regional sustainable aviation fuel roadmap. The aviation industry is keen to work with key ASEAN decision makers to provide the necessary policy framework to support the development of competitive and sustainable aviation fuels.
At the same time as reducing aviation's environmental impact, the growth of feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuels will open up rural socio-economic development opportunities across the region." "We are privileged to be working with our Southeast Asian partners to determine how best we can contribute to a Sustainable Aviation sector in the region", said Frédéric Eychenne, Airbus New Energies Programme Manager. "The commercialisation of Sustainable Fuels is one of the essential ingredients in our quest to achieving ambitious environmental targets in aviation." "Southeast Asia is one of the world's fastest-growing regions for commercial aviation and has great potential to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel industry," said Skip Boyce, President of Boeing Southeast Asia. "To help develop that potential, Boeing is working closely with partners to ensure positive outcomes for the aviation industry, the environment and, most importantly, for the people of the region."
The key outcomes of the workshop will be to broaden stakeholder involvement to address the key opportunities, challenges, and sensitivities across the value chain and actively support the development of a SEASAFI roadmap. The roadmap will look to target key stakeholder groups and provide recommended actions on priority commercialization initiatives, promising regional feedstocks and technologies, priority research and development efforts, supply chain gaps and barriers to be removed, and best practices for de-risking investment. The roadmap, once published, will be a valuable tool in advancing the debate on the role of sustainable aviation fuels by providing strategic input to policy and decision makers in industry and government, on what options will need their careful consideration and further research. Key topics addressed at the workshop include: drivers for sustainable aviation fuel, state of the industry, sustainability, policy, and the next steps for Southeast Asia.
ENDS