As the UAE Year of Sustainability draws to a close, eight founding entities launched the “Air-CRAFT” initiative – a UAE-based research consortium focused on developing, producing, and scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies.
This was recorded at the third ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) in Dubai on November 20.
Air-CRAFT, or the UAE Centre for Renewable and Advanced Fuel Technologies for Aviation, is a first-of-its-kind initiative that will bring together entities across the value chain – industrial policymakers, aviation regulators, fuel producers, academia and researchers, aircraft and powerplant manufacturers, and airline operators.
While based in the UAE, the consortium will also engage with, and welcome the participation of international entities as it progresses. The new initiative was announced on the sidelines of CAAF/3 and ahead of COP28.
Air-CRAFT is supported by the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
The collaboration is in support of the UAE’s National SAF Roadmap principles and the commercial aviation industry’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050.At CAAF/3 today, senior representatives from the eight consortium entities signed a strategic collaboration agreement to launch the Air-CRAFT initiative.
Potential research topics at Air-CRAFT include environmental impact assessments, feedstock and process optimisation, and techno-economic assessments. Air-CRAFT will also establish links with other academic and research institutions in the UAE and internationally.
The US government supports Air-CRAFT being linked to the inter-governmental US-UAE ‘Partnership to Accelerate Transition to Clean Energy’ (PACE) agreement.
The consortium’s industrial and institutional partners will provide market demand, expertise, and technology to support research into the production of alternative fuels for the aviation sector, and extends an open invitation to UAE and international entities to join the consortium. Air-CRAFT is in advanced discussions with key and strategic global players.
Senior Vice-President, Research and Development, and Professor of Practice, Khalifa University, Dr. Steven Griffiths, said: “Khalifa University places the UAE’s energy transition at the core of its strategy. Given the critical importance of aviation to the UAE economy, the Air-CRAFT initiative therefore aligns seamlessly with our research agenda. Khalifa University looks forward to serving as the cornerstone of Air-CRAFT’s research, technology development and human capital development activities.”
