On April 11, 2025, at Astor Ballroom, the St. Regis Bangkok
Dr Sumittra Charojrochkul, Executive Director of the National Energy Technology Center (ENTEC), and Dr. Visarn Lilavivat, senior researcher participated in the Airbus Special Industry Outreach event, which brought together key stakeholders to explore the future of sustainable aviation in Thailand.
At the event, Ms. Julie Kitcher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Airbus, emphasized the transformative role Thailand can play in advancing sustainable aviation through hydrogen technologies, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and collaborative decarbonization strategies. Key focus areas include next-generation aircraft, disruptive technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, and scaling up SAF adoption.
“SAF is critical to achieving significant emissions reductions in aviation, with the potential to lower CO2 emissions by up to 80%,” Kitcher noted. Airbus has set an ambitious goal to ensure its aircraft are fully SAF-compatible by 2030. However, she acknowledged that high production costs and limited supply remain key short-term obstabcles.
Dr. Seksan Phrommanich from the Renewable Energy Industry Club under the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), highlighted Thailand’s strong potential for SAF production, particularly from used cooking oil and ethanol-based processes. He emphasized the importance of enabling policies, referencing the Draft Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP) 2024 and the Oil Plan 2024, which set a target for 1% SAF blending by 2026.
Government support, investment in infrastructure, and industry collaboration are essential for Thailand to become a major SAF producer and exporter.
