World Fuel Services seeks growing interest for SAF in the Middle East

In the United Arab Emirates, AIN Online reported that Middle East firm World Fuel Services is seeing a growing interest regarding sustainability and sustainable aviation fuel in the Middle East.

“I think it’s definitely increasing from the perspective that we are getting asked about it regularly,’” said Riyan Qirbi, World Fuel’s director of market development for the region. “Of course, in most cases, we say we can’t because there is no supply source [in the region] that we can actually access, but there’s definitely an interest from multiple parties. If it was available and at the right price, I think there would be a market for it.”

However, the executive said that production of SAF in the Middle East is extremely unlikely due to the scarcity of crop areas.

“They don’t grow anything so the chances of taking plants and converting them into sustainable aviation fuel, this is a very limited opportunity, and where they do grow stuff, they grow it to meet a part of their overall food balance which is negative. In terms of SAF being produced in Africa and the Middle East, I think we are still some time away from that happening,” the executive added.

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