ReFuelEU Aviation

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ReFuelEU Aviation • Operator compliance & SAF strategy

Stay compliant at EU airports—while building a bankable SAF strategy your CFO can defend.

ReFuelEU affects how you uplift, procure, report, and claim emissions benefits. VURDHAAN helps aircraft operators convert regulatory obligations into an operational plan—without disruption.

EU Regulation (EU) 2023/2405
EU Renewable Energy Directive alignment
ASTM D7566 / D1655 handling & specs
ICAO CORSIA eligible fuel claims
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What happens next: a focused scoping call, a compliance gap snapshot, and a practical workplan.
2%
SAF minimum share from 2025 (supplier mandate)
90%
Minimum annual uplift vs fuel required (anti-tankering)
31 Mar
Operator reporting due each year (Y+1)

The compliance challenge is operational—not just sustainability.

ReFuelEU tightens fuel practices at EU airports, increases SAF volumes over time, and raises scrutiny on the data behind your claims. The cost of getting it wrong is fines, reputational risk, and avoidable ops friction.

Problem

SAF volumes scale while supply remains constrained and data requirements tighten.

Impact

Uplift breaches, unverifiable SAF attributes, and inconsistent claims create audit and penalty exposure.

Solution

A single operator playbook: procurement + uplift controls + reporting-grade evidence.

Benchmark reality check
SAF can reduce lifecycle CO₂ by up to ~80% (pathway dependent), but global production remains a small share of jet fuel—driving price and availability pressure. Plan for compliance with commercial discipline.

Our approach: operator-ready, auditor-ready.

We align fuel procurement, uplift behavior, and reporting so your compliance is repeatable—not heroic.

  1. 1

    Baseline & exposure map

    EU-airport uplift patterns, route constraints, supplier landscape, and data gaps.

  2. 2

    Compliance roadmap

    Milestone-driven plan (2025 → 2030 → 2035) with realistic sourcing and operational controls.

  3. 3

    Uplift control system

    90% uplift monitoring per EU airport, exception handling, and risk alerts for dispatch & fuel teams.

  4. 4

    Data, verification & reporting

    Templates, audit trail, supplier data ingestion, and verifier-friendly pack for (Y+1) reporting.

  5. 5

    Commercial & claims governance

    Cost levers, claim rules (e.g., CORSIA-ready documentation), and communications you can stand behind.

Services built for ReFuelEU operator obligations

Focused on outcomes: fewer compliance surprises, fewer operational workarounds, stronger auditability.

SAF compliance strategy

Turn minimum shares into a procurement and network plan with quantified gaps per EU airport.

  • Operator-facing roadmap by milestone year
  • Supplier & consortium options mapped to your footprint

90% uplift threshold monitoring

Prevent anti-tankering breaches with proactive uplift analytics and exception workflow.

  • Per-airport uplift vs fuel-required tracking
  • Safety-rule exceptions documented cleanly

Reporting & verification pack

Build a reporting-grade evidence trail that verifiers can follow—without friction.

  • Templates, controls, and data lineage
  • Supplier data reconciliation & checks

SAF data quality & standards alignment

Ensure fuel attributes, sustainability criteria, and quality specs stand up to scrutiny.

  • ASTM handling & blend documentation readiness
  • Lifecycle emissions & feedstock attribute governance

Commercial levers & incentives mapping

Clarify cost drivers, finance options, and internal allocation logic for SAF premiums.

  • Budget scenarioing for procurement & ops
  • Support-scheme awareness and risk checks

Claims & stakeholder communications

Make progress credible: consistent language, no double-counting, clear boundaries.

  • Customer/regulator reporting narrative
  • CORSIA-ready evidence guidance
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Proof of expertise—built into the work

We design programs that survive audits, internal challenge, and operational reality.

Standards & frameworks we work to

  • ReFuelEU Aviation (EU 2023/2405): uplift obligation, reporting templates, milestones.
  • RED sustainability criteria alignment: eligible fuel categories & lifecycle attributes.
  • ASTM D7566 / D1655: blend/spec documentation and operational handling readiness.
  • ICAO CORSIA eligible fuels: claim-compatible documentation and governance.

Typical deliverables

  • Operator compliance roadmap (milestones + actions + owners)
  • EU-airport uplift monitoring logic & exception workflow
  • Supplier data checklist + reconciliation controls
  • Verifier-ready reporting pack (evidence index + traceability)
  • Claims governance notes (what you can / can’t state)

The VURDHAAN effect

What changes when the program is done properly:

  • No last-minute uplift surprises: 90% threshold is actively managed.
  • Auditability by design: data lineage is clear from supplier → ops → report.
  • Commercial clarity: premiums, allocation, and claim logic are internally defensible.
  • Credible communications: progress statements match evidence and avoid greenwash risk.

Interactive tools: see your compliance readiness in minutes

Use these quick interactives to identify what to fix first—before the next reporting cycle.

SAF readiness maturity

Slide to see the operating model you need as volumes scale.

Level 2 — Controlled

Basic uplift and SAF purchase tracking exists, but controls are inconsistent across EU airports.

  • Patchy supplier attribute capture
  • Exceptions handled ad-hoc
  • Reporting effort is manual

Operator compliance flow

Click each step to reveal what “good” looks like in practice.

Uplift discipline

Track uplift vs “fuel required” per Union airport; flag approaching threshold risk before dispatch decisions lock in.

  • Airport-level uplift dashboards
  • Safety-rule exception documentation
  • Route-by-route tankering risk review

Key requirements you must operationalize (from 2025 onward)

A compact operator checklist—kept intentionally brief.

Minimum SAF shares (supply-side mandate)

Fuel made available at Union airports must meet increasing minimum SAF shares, with synthetic sub-shares from 2030. Operators need procurement and data readiness to use those volumes credibly.

From year
Minimum SAF
Synthetic sub-share
2025
2%
—
2030
6%
Avg 1.2% (min 0.7%/yr)
2035
20%
5%
2040
34%
10%
2045
42%
15%
2050
70%
35%

Anti-tankering uplift obligation

Your annual uplift at each Union airport must be ≥ 90% of annual fuel required, with limited exceptions for fuel safety rules. This changes dispatch and fuel economics at the margin.

90% uplift rule Exception handling Per-airport proof

Reporting cadence (operator + supplier)

Build a repeatable annual rhythm:

  • By 14 Feb (Y+1): suppliers provide SAF attribute data for period Y.
  • By 31 Mar (Y+1): operators submit the annual report for period Y (templates + audit trail).
  • Always: maintain consistency so the same SAF batch isn’t claimed twice under different schemes.
On flexibility mechanisms (e.g., “book & claim” concepts): policy work continues in the EU on improving SAF flexibility/traceability and assessing tradability concepts. We can help you build a governance model that remains credible as mechanisms evolve.

If you operate to/from the EU, treat ReFuelEU as a fuel program—not a reporting task.

Let’s map your uplift exposure, confirm data readiness, and set a plan that scales to 2030 and beyond.

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After you contact us: we’ll respond to agree scope, stakeholders, and the immediate compliance questions you need answered.

Fast-start inputs (if you have them)

  • EU airport list + annual uplift volumes
  • Fuel supplier contracts and SAF purchase records
  • Any existing sustainability claims language
  • Internal owners: fuel, ops, finance, sustainability
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