The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a new organisation, Civil Aviation Decarbonization Organization (CADO), to operate the forthcoming Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Registry.
A not-for-profit organisation based in Montreal, Canada, CADO will oversee the SAF Registry’s operations, with IATA providing technical support.
Membership in CADO is open to organisations involved in the SAF value chain, state and quasi-state entities with a direct interest in SAF, and related groups benefiting from SAF adoption in aviation.
IATA sustainability senior vice-president and chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen said: “CADO will turbo-charge the imminent launch of the IATA-developed SAF Registry. Its mandate is to manage the SAF Registry as a separate entity from IATA with an open and global approach that supports the scrutiny needed to build trust among all stakeholders.
“In fact, the door is open for any stakeholder in the SAF value chain, including governments, to join CADO. This inclusive approach should also be a force for the harmonisation of the principles on which all SAF registries operate.”
IATA’s SAF Registry aims to provide a global system for tracking SAF transactions in a transparent and standardised manner.
It will facilitate the verification of the environmental benefits of SAF and compliance with regulatory and voluntary schemes.
By connecting airlines with SAF producers and suppliers worldwide, the registry seeks to address the challenge of limited SAF availability.
It will also enable corporate customers to contribute to in-sector emissions reductions and support decarbonisation efforts.
IATA said the participation will be free until April 2027 in the SAF Registry, transitioning to a cost-recovery model thereafter.
IATA director general Willie Walsh said: “The SAF Registry is a critical piece of market infrastructure that is indispensable in building a global, transparent, and liquid global market for SAF.
“Ramping-up SAF production is the common goal and the structure we are putting in place with CADO is an important step in moving decarbonisation forward.”
In November 2024, IATA revealed that 17 airlines, one airline group, six national authorities, three original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and one fuel producer had pre-registered to the registry.
Earlier this year, IATA and 123Carbon teamed up to develop interoperability between their SAF registries.
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