EU Commission approves €290 million Dutch aid for sustainable aviation fuel production

The European Commission has authorized two Dutch state‑aid programmes totalling €290 million to accelerate the development and commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The funding supports both advanced bio‑SAF produced by non‑HEFA processes and synthetic e‑SAF, covering investment in production facilities and preparatory work such as front‑end engineering design studies. The schemes are scheduled to run from 2027 to 2031 and will provide direct grants linked to project milestones on a first‑come, first‑served basis. The Commission expects the supported projects to generate around 285 kilotonnes of SAF per year – roughly 350 million litres of kerosene, enough to fuel about 3,500 intercontinental flights annually. The aid aligns with the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal and the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, aiming to expand the supply and demand for SAF and move European aviation toward climate neutrality.