SINGAPORE’s recently announced green jet fuel levy might sound unambitious to the man on the street, as it aims to support a modest 1 per cent use of sustainable aviation fuel on departing flights from 2026.

Airbus chief sustainability officer Julie Kitcher, however, sees this step as a leap in an arena where countries had been waiting on one another to make moves at the sustainability crossroads.

Sustainable aviation fuel is currently three to five times the cost of ordinary jet fuel, so its early adopters face significant disadvantages.