Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has called for a practical and economically grounded approach to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) policies, arguing that regulatory requirements should reflect technical feasibility, market conditions and the investment realities facing countries and industry stakeholders.
Karim Gamil, adviser to the chairman of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority and director general of international agreements, made the remarks while representing Egypt at the ninth Forum of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) in Paris.
Gamil said regulators should use technical and economic feasibility studies and market indicators when designing and implementing SAF policies. He argued that the transition towards mandatory requirements should be based on measures that can be realistically implemented by governments, fuel producers and airlines.
Egypt highlights investment conditions for SAF
According to Gamil, clear policies and stable regulatory frameworks will be important for attracting the capital required to develop SAF production projects.
He also presented two sustainable bio-based aviation fuel projects currently under development in Egypt. The projects are expected to support domestic capabilities in SAF production while creating opportunities for investment and technology deployment.
Egypt has been developing a broader national framework for SAF. In July, the Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the country’s first national feasibility study for SAF production and use in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with European Union support under the ACT-SAF programme. The study is intended to provide the technical and economic basis for a national SAF roadmap.
The initiative is also linked to Egypt’s efforts to align its aviation sector with international requirements, including the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Focus on technology transfer and financing
Gamil’s comments at the ECAC forum also highlighted the different economic and development conditions across countries.
He called for international and regional SAF policies to take account of those differences and stressed the importance of technology transfer, capacity building, access to finance and investment incentives.
The discussions covered how regulators can provide sufficient certainty for investors, determine the appropriate timing for new regulatory requirements and address differences in national capabilities. Participants also considered how to expand SAF availability at competitive prices while balancing the interests of fuel producers and airlines.
The panel included representatives from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency, the UK Department for Transport, the African Civil Aviation Commission and the Arab Civil Aviation Organisation.
Egypt builds domestic SAF project pipeline
Egypt’s policy discussion comes as the country moves to establish domestic SAF production capacity.
In January 2026, Egypt’s ministries of petroleum and civil aviation said they were coordinating on a SAF project being developed through the Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company. The government said it aims to position Egypt as a regional SAF production hub and align future output with ICAO requirements and CORSIA.
The Egyptian Company for Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Biofuels (ESAF) is involved in the development of the project. The petroleum ministry said in January that ESAF was working towards a production licence with Honeywell UOP, while arrangements were also being made for internationally approved feedstock supplies and global marketing of part of the production.
Egypt has also set a target of producing around 2% of its aviation fuel requirements from SAF by 2030, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
Egypt’s latest SAF policy discussion highlights a central challenge for emerging SAF markets: regulation needs to create demand and investment certainty without moving faster than production economics, feedstock availability and supporting infrastructure allow.
For Egypt, the combination of a national SAF feasibility study, government-backed project development and international cooperation could help establish the technical and regulatory foundations for a domestic industry. However, the scale and timing of future SAF deployment will depend on project economics, certified feedstock supply, technology availability, financing and the development of a market capable of supporting competitively priced fuel.
The emphasis on practical regulation is therefore particularly relevant as Egypt moves from policy development towards commercial SAF production. ICAO’s 2026 guidance similarly identifies techno-economic analysis and coordinated policy approaches as important elements in supporting SAF deployment.
