Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports (Mpor) has formally asked for the sustainable aviation fuel requirement scheduled to begin in January 2027 to be postponed, citing delays in the certification system needed to administer the program. The proposal was sent last week to the Future Fuel committee, which is linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), according to information reported by Folha.
The ministry’s proposal is based on an assessment by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), which identified unresolved questions about fuel distribution, how airlines would document purchases and how compliance would be monitored. Mpor proposes that the 2027 target apply proportionally, counting only the period after the requirement takes effect. It suggests the obligation begin 60 days after delivery of the system, without setting a new calendar date.
Airlines would still have to monitor and report their emissions from January 1, 2027. The proposal will be assessed by the National Council for Energy Policy (CNPE), which can temporarily change the required percentages. The MME said the Future Fuel committee had recommended proportional compliance for 2027, but that a decision rests with the council.
The National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Program, known as ProBioQAV, was established under Brazil’s 2024 Future Fuel Law. It requires airlines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. The minimum reduction is 1% in 2027 and 2028, rising gradually to 10% in 2037. The figures refer to emissions avoided, not to a requirement to blend that share of SAF into all jet fuel used.
The planned management system is intended to register sustainability certificates for SAF, track their sale and verify that they are used to meet targets. Under the model, airlines could purchase a certificate linked to SAF entering the supply chain and use it toward their obligation even if their aircraft operate elsewhere. The approach is designed to avoid transporting SAF to every airport served by an airline and to prevent the same environmental benefit from being counted more than once. A certificate would be withdrawn from circulation once used for compliance.
Anac has warned that SAF may initially be available at only a small number of airports, potentially creating different costs and obligations for competing airlines. As of October, the agency said, the airports, available volumes and supply schedule had not been defined. Petrobras was the only company to have publicly announced supply for 2027 by the previous month, according to the report.
The agency also raised the possibility that airlines could alter their networks to avoid the added cost of fueling where SAF is available. Questions remain over how purchases should be documented, including whether each refueling would require an invoice or whether airlines could use contracts covering larger volumes. Anac cited around 800,000 domestic departures a year as an indication of the workload that individualized tracking could create.
Supply forecasts also leave limited room for disruption. A study by the Energy Research Office (EPE) indicates that Brazil’s 2027 supply would come exclusively from Petrobras refineries, with facilities dedicated to other production routes expected only from 2028 or 2029. A key step would be increasing the renewable content of coprocessed jet fuel at the Replan refinery in Paulínia, São Paulo, from 0.5% to 2.5% starting in April 2027.
An MME financial analysis estimates a direct cost of R$3.26 per air ticket in 2027, equivalent to about 0.45% of the average fare of R$723 used in the calculation.
Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) said it had opened a public consultation on a draft resolution covering SAF certification and procedures to verify the supporting evidence required to issue sustainability certificates. The consultation runs through November 13, with a public hearing scheduled for November 18. The agency said it would define requirements for the computerized management system with its developer after the regulation is approved.
Anac said its responsibilities do not include operating the certificate registry, developing the system or regulating fuel sales. Its role, it said, is to set the methodology for monitoring and reporting emissions by covered airlines, enforce the mandate and establish any exemptions for operators without SAF access at the airports where they operate.
Petrobras said expanding SAF production is part of its energy-transition strategy and that its Reduc refinery in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, has produced and sold SAF since December 2025. The company said production is aligned with market demand and that the market is expected to grow gradually. Petrobras is also authorized to produce SAF through coprocessing at Replan, Revap in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and Regap in Betim, Minas Gerais. Replan and Revap are undergoing certification audits and are expected to be certified by early January 2027; the audit at Regap is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Sources: Folha Mercado.