Heather Gordon, Legal Director at Martyn Fiddler is excited to be attending SAF Investor London 2024 (27-28 February). This is stated to be an event which is not about arguing the case for SAF, but rather, about bringing dealmakers together who can make change happen.

Throughout 2023 the aviation industry was under constant attack for its environmental impact, in particular business aviation. The industry wasn’t just under fire in the media: environmental protestors disrupted business aviation conferences, broke into airports and damaged private aircraft to highlight their cause. Extinction Rebellion, who attempted to block entry to Farnborough Airport by protest in November 2023, state that “private aviation significantly contributes to climate change due to its high carbon emissions. Flying in a private jet is the most inefficient and most carbon-intensive mode of transport”.

While 2023 saw numerous initiatives start up to respond and educate the wider public about the environmental impact of business aviation, at CJI Miami in November 2023 Ed Bolen (NBAA President and CEO) warned that the mission to net zero is not just an NBAA and business aviation mission – it is an aviation worldwide mission and requires everyone in the industry to come together to act in a way that is sustainable and to create energy independence.

SAF Investor 2024 recognises the widespread adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is no longer an engineering challenge, its an economic one. The organisers explain:

“New technologies now need to prove they can scale up and meet the industry’s need for billions of dollars of capital that are required to have any chance of reaching 2050 targets.

Investors want certainty. They need to know that: future demand is strong; feedstock supply is stable; the economics of production work; and lawmakers will provide clear, stable regulation. SAF Investor London 2024 will examine all these issues.”

At Martyn Fiddler, we facilitate transactions through our experience in corporate governance and creation of vehicles for new and join ventures. We want to join the conversation and are determined not to sit back and allow Bolens’ message to continue to fall on death ears.

Heather tells us:

“Hopefully 2024 will see a year where the industry starts to combine forces for the good of aviation and indeed the planet. Last year Martyn Fiddler ran several campaigns that focused on sustainability, it was also at the heart of the agenda at the IOM Aviation Conference in June, a conference we run annually. It is important to us that we stay well informed of technological advancements and continue to try and have a positive impact towards creating a more sustainable future.

SAF Investor offers a very interesting agenda, I am really looking forward to attending!”