The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has published its 2026 ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report, showing that SAF supply across the EU exceeded the first mandatory ReFuelEU Aviation target in 2025. Aviation fuel suppliers reported supplying 39.3 million tonnes of aviation fuel at EU airports in 2025, of which 1.1 million tonnes, or 2.8%, was SAF, clearing the mandatory 2% minimum that took effect that year.
The Scale of the Year-on-Year Jump
SAF supply rose from 193,000 tonnes in 2024 to 1.1 million tonnes in 2025, nearly a sixfold increase, coinciding with the mandate's entry into force. SAF reached 121 EU airports across all 27 member states in 2025, meaning 79% of Union airports received SAF during the year, up sharply from 33 airports in 2024. EASA calculates that this SAF use reduced greenhouse gas emissions at EU airports by 3.33 million tonnes over the year.
Where the Supply Actually Came From
Despite that reported volume, EASA's own data cuts against a simple growth narrative: 86% of the SAF supplied at EU airports was produced domestically within the EU, but 85% of the feedstocks used to make it originated from outside the EU. Used cooking oil remained the dominant feedstock at 80% of total volume, with additional feedstock types entering the mix in growing amounts during the year. That combination, EU-based production running mostly on imported feedstock, means the reported domestic production share describes where processing occurred rather than where the underlying raw material was sourced.
A Concentrated Geography
The Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy and France together accounted for 0.8 million tonnes, or 74%, of all SAF supplied across the EU in 2025. The Netherlands alone received the largest single share among member states, at 0.32 million tonnes, or 29% of the EU total, a concentration consistent with Rotterdam's established position as a major biofuel processing and import hub.
The Synthetic Fuel Pathway Remains Early-Stage
EASA's report notes that while the e-SAF market remains at an early stage of development, the first EU-based e-SAF demonstration plant has now been established, described as proof the technology is being deployed in practice rather than remaining theoretical. Around 50 e-SAF projects across the EU are currently awaiting final investment decisions, with several member states taking steps to support scale-up, though EASA's framing treats FID as the next milestone still to be cleared for the majority of these projects rather than assuming it will follow automatically.
Why the 2030 Trajectory Still Looks On Track, According to EASA
EASA states that EU SAF production capacity is projected to remain on track to meet the overall 6% SAF blending target set for 2030, a considerably steeper requirement than the 2% cleared in 2025. That assessment rests on capacity currently being built or planned rather than capacity already operating, meaning the 2030 target's achievability depends on the roughly 50 pending e-SAF projects and other capacity additions actually reaching FID and construction on the timeline EASA's projection assumes.
What This Report Actually Is
This is EASA's first statutory Annual Technical Report under the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation (EU 2023/2405), which requires EASA to publish yearly data on compliance status and SAF market development. EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet framed the report's purpose explicitly around building an evidence base to track progress and identify where further action may be needed, rather than only confirming that the 2025 target was met.
Source: European Union Aviation Safety Agency, 17 September 2026.
