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Transport secretary insists SAF legislation not designed to make flying more expensive

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
Gary Noakes
11 November 2025

The government won't seek to make flying more expensive as sustainable fuels become a requirement, the transport secretary has said, in recognition that demand for flying is "only going in one direction".

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander
(Credit: parliament.uk)

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander (Credit: parliament.uk)

Speaking at the Airlines 2025 conference, Heidi Alexander said the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Bill should receive Royal Assent in the spring – a key step towards unlocking a low carbon fuels market. However, she told delegates this would not mean increased fares.

“Let me be clear – we are not passing this legislation so passengers and airlines end up saddled with disproportionate costs,” she said. “The goal of SAF is to get more people in the skies, not fewer, to secure the right of future generations to fly, not to price them out.”