IATA Places SAF at Core of 2026 World Sustainability Symposium as Kazakhstan Eyes 70,000-Tonne Demand
Why It MattersSAF scaling, market development and emerging technologies are becoming shared priorities across established aviation bodies and emerging producer nations like Kazakhstan alike.
The International Air Transport Association, which represents more than 370 airlines accounting for around 85% of global air traffic, will hold its fourth World Sustainability Symposium in Brussels on 13-14 October 2026, with Sustainable Aviation Fuel among the three central themes. Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the challenge for aviation's net-zero 2050 target is now constrained not by ambition but by the pace at which interdependent solutions can be developed and scaled. The event will bring together airlines, fuel producers, investors, technology companies, regulators and government representatives, covering scaling of technically available solutions such as HEFA-based fuel, Low Carbon Aviation Fuels and refinery co-processing; development of transparent, competitive markets for SAF and carbon credits; and emerging technologies, non-CO₂ effects and aircraft lifecycle sustainability. For the first time, IATA will hold two consecutive events at the same Brussels venue, with Wings of Change Europe following on 15 October.
For Kazakhstan, this global debate is converging with domestic industrial activity. The Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan estimates the country's potential annual SAF demand could reach approximately 70,000 tonnes by 2030, with Alcohol-to-Jet technology converting bioethanol into aviation fuel identified as a potentially economically attractive pathway supported by the country's agricultural feedstock base. In the Kostanay region, KazMunayGas, KazFoodProducts and US-based KBR have agreed to work on basic engineering design for a SAF production facility using bioethanol and Alcohol-to-Jet technology, while a separate project using industrial oilseed feedstocks is under discussion with Asian investors.
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy has announced plans to increase domestic aviation fuel production to 1.7 million tonnes between 2026 and 2032, with a transition to Jet A-1 fuel standard considered a prerequisite for building a domestic SAF market. Kazakhstan has implemented CORSIA since 2019, with Air Astana, SCAT Airlines and Vietjet Qazaqstan submitting emissions data under the programme, and it was the first CIS country to join ICAO's ACT-SAF programme.
