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The green jet fuel that never showed up

The recent Iran oil shock briefly sent jet fuel prices soaring, revealing how little sustainable aviation fuel is actually available

GIUSEPPE CACACE / Getty Images

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This summer, air travelers got a preview of what happens when oil markets panic. The war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran doubled jet fuel prices in a matter of weeks, briefly topping $200 a barrel. SAS and Lufthansa cut flights. Governments across Europe dipped into emergency fuel reserves. For a few tense weeks, the aviation industry warned of a summer of grounded planes and canceled vacations.

Then the panic eased. Suppliers in the U.S., West Africa and Norway rerouted shipments to cover the shortfall. Prices drifted back down. But the scare exposed something the industry has known for years and mostly avoided saying out loud. Aviation has one strategy for surviving oil shocks like this one, and that strategy barely exists.

The promise that never scaled

Sustainable aviation fuel was supposed to clean up the skies. Current airplanes can't run on batteries the way........

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