January-February 2022 - 38

AIRPORT GURU
AUTHOR Curt Castagna
The Future of Sustainable
Aviation Gasoline Fuel
BUSINESS AVIATION COALITION FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL
adversely impacting the existing general
aviation fleet.
Currently, aviation represents approxLAST
SEPTEMBER, the Biden administration announced
a new plan to advance the future of sustainable fuels
in the aviation industry and make progress toward
the nation's climate goals. The executive actions are
intended to promote the production and use of billions
of gallons of sustainable fuel that will result in a 20%
reduction in aviation emissions by 2030 - with the ultimate
goal of having a fully zero-carbon aviation sector
by 2050.
The plan also outlined steps to coordinate
efforts across the federal government,
aircraft manufacturers, commercial
airlines, fuel producers, airports and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CURT CASTAGNA
Curt Castagna, president and CEO of Aeroplex/
Aerolease Group, is a member of the Los Angeles
County Airport Commission, president of the Van
Nuys and Long Beach Airport Associations, and
immediate past chair of the board of directors for the
National Air Transportation Association. A certified
private and instrument-rated pilot, he has instructed
courses in aviation administration at Cal State Los
Angeles for over two decades.
non-governmental organizations to
transform the aviation sector, boost the
economy and tackle the climate crisis.
At the national level, the Federal
Aviation Administration
(FAA) and Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) are
partnering to remove lead
from aviation gasoline (avgas),
which is the only remaining
lead-containing transportation
fuel in the U.S. The major
challenge is to remove the
use of leaded aviation fuels for
piston-engine aircraft without
38 \ AIRPORT BUSINESS / JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
imately 11% of U.S. transportation-related
emissions. Owners and operators of
more than 190,000 piston-engine aircraft
operating in the U.S. rely on 100LL
avgas to power their aircraft. Achieving
a sustainable aviation industry requires
improvements in both aircraft technology
and operations. While electric and
hydrogen-powered aviation have been
identified as options for local and regional
travel in the future, the deployment of
alternative aviation fuels has been identified
as the key to unlocking sustainable
long-haul travel and is a critical first step.
However, the adoption of sustainable
aviation fuels and phase-out of leaded
avgas presents many challenges to the
general aviation industry that require
both innovation and leadership. First,
no current unleaded fuels qualify as a
drop-in replacement for 100LL avgas for
100% of the fleet, and the FAA requires
type certification for engines and aircraft
to use different fuels. Second, the
limited quantity of unleaded fuel being
produced is not widely available for airports.
And, third, the entire aircraft fleet
and engines do not satisfactorily operate
with fuels less than 100 octane.
Considerable work must be done to
address the environmental and regulatory
challenges associated with piston
aviation fuels, while protecting aviation
safety and the economic health of airport
sponsors, users and operators. Industry
stakeholders and federal legislators must
reach consensus on steps to phase out
avgas in a manner that is well-organized
and intentional, and recognize this must
be accomplished at the national level.
January-February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January-February 2022
