Singapore will delay the introduction of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) levy for air cargo by another year, while going ahead with the rollout for travellers from January 2027, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Thursday (Sep 3).
As previously announced, origin-destination passengers who buy tickets from Oct 1 this year for flights departing Singapore from Jan 1, 2027, will have to pay the SAF levy. The same timeline will apply to general and business aviation flights, and the levy must be reflected as a distinct line item in the fare breakdown, said CAAS in a media release.The levy on air cargo shipments, however, will be deferred by one year following industry feedback. It will now apply to services sold from Oct 1, 2027, for flights departing Singapore from Jan 1, 2028.
“Compared to airlines’ passenger operations, cargo operations are more diverse and involve a wider range of stakeholders – such as airlines, air express companies, freight forwarders and shippers – and varying commercial arrangements,” said CAAS.
The SAF levy was first announced in November 2025 and initially due to apply to tickets sold from April for flights departing Singapore from October, but it was deferred due to the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict on airlines and passengers, CAAS said in a previous statement.
The sustainable aviation fuel levy that airline passengers departing from Singapore will have to pay ranges from S$1 (US$0.79) to S$41.60 per ticket, depending on their travel destination and travel class.
