SINGAPORE: Airline passengers departing from Singapore will have to pay a sustainable aviation fuel levy ranging from S$1 (US$0.77) to S$41.60 per ticket, depending on their travel destination and travel class.
The levy will apply to tickets sold from Apr 1, 2026, for flights departing from Singapore on or after Oct 1, 2026, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement on Monday (Nov 10).
This means that if a ticket is bought before Apr 1 for a flight departing after Oct 1, the levy will not apply. Likewise, if a ticket is bought after Apr 1 for a flight before Oct 1, there will be no levy.
All destinations from Singapore will be grouped into four geographical bands:
Passengers travelling to Band 1 destinations will pay S$1 if travelling in an economy cabin, which includes economy class and premium economy, and S$4 for a premium cabin, which includes business class and first class.
Band 2 passengers will pay S$2.80 and S$11.20 for an economy cabin and a premium cabin, respectively.
Band 3 passengers will pay S$6.40 and S$25.60, and Band 4 passengers will pay S$10.40 and S$41.60 for an economy cabin and premium cabin respectively.
The levy will not apply to passengers transiting through Singapore. For flights with multiple stops, the levy will be based on the immediate next destination after departing Singapore.
The announcement of the levy amounts comes after CAAS said last month that it had set up a new entity to centrally procure sustainable aviation fuel and secure a more affordable and stable supply for Singapore and the region.
Levies collected from passengers will go into a fund used to purchase sustainable aviation fuel.
The airline will collect the levy and must display it as a distinct line item on the air ticket sold, said CAAS on Monday.
Director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Han Kok Juan on Oct 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Lim Li Ting)
CAAS had estimated last year that the levy would be around S$3, S$6 and S$16 for a passenger in economy class travelling to Bangkok, Tokyo and London, respectively.
The lower levy amounts announced on Monday reflect “the lower prevailing cost of sustainable aviation fuel compared to when the initial estimates were made”, said CAAS.
The levy amounts could be revised in future as Singapore’s sustainability fuel targets shift, said director-general of CAAS Han Kok Juan at a media conference on Monday.
Singapore aims for sustainable aviation fuel to account for 1 per cent of all jet fuel used at Changi and Seletar airports in 2026, rising to 3 to 5 per cent by 2030.
“When (the target) is 3 to 5 per cent, then the levy will have to be adjusted to achieve the 3 to 5 per cent,” said Mr Han.
“But insofar as we have set the target to 1 per cent (for 2026), the levy will be fixed regardless of the sale prices.”
He added that he expects the sustainable air fuel (SAF) levy to remain at the current level “for a few years”, before a review is done “some years down the road”.
When asked about the absolute volume of sustainable aviation fuel needed to hit the 1 per cent target, Mr Han said that the target will depend on the passenger volume for that period of time, and so an estimate cannot be provided now.
"The introduction of the SAF levy marks a major step forward in Singapore's effort to build a more sustainable and competitive air hub," he said.
"It provides the mechanism for all aviation users to do their part to contribute to sustainability at a cost which is manageable for the air hub."
A levy for cargo shipments is being set on a per kg basis and varies based on the distance travelled, following the same geographical bands as for passenger flights.
For Band 1, the levy will be 1 cent per kg, for Band 2 it is 4 cents per kg, 9 cents per kg for Band 3 and 15 cents per kg for Band 4.
The aircraft operator will collect the levy and must display the levy as a distinct line item on the air cargo contract.
For general and business aviation flights, which are civil aviation flights that operate outside of commercial airline services such as corporate aircraft and private jets, the levies are broken down according to their geographical bands and the aircraft’s size.
For example, for small aircraft such as a Cessna 404 Titan, the operator has to pay between S$40 and S$390, depending on the geographical band.
For medium- to wide-body aircraft such as the A310-200 or the B767-300, the operator has to pay between S$380 and S$3,900.
For very large, long-haul wide-body planes like the A380 or B747-8, the levy will be between S$630 and S$6,500.
Training flights and those for charitable or humanitarian purposes will be exempt from the levy.
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The levy will apply to tickets sold from Apr 1, 2026, for flights departing from Singapore on or after Oct 1, 2026, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement on Monday (Nov 10).
This means that if a ticket is bought before Apr 1 for a flight departing after Oct 1, the levy will not apply. Likewise, if a ticket is bought after Apr 1 for a flight before Oct 1, there will be no levy.
All destinations from Singapore will be grouped into four geographical bands:
- Band 1: Southeast Asia
- Band 2: Northeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and Papua New Guinea
- Band 3: Africa, Central and West Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands and New Zealand
- Band 4: the Americas.
Passengers travelling to Band 1 destinations will pay S$1 if travelling in an economy cabin, which includes economy class and premium economy, and S$4 for a premium cabin, which includes business class and first class.
Band 2 passengers will pay S$2.80 and S$11.20 for an economy cabin and a premium cabin, respectively.
Band 3 passengers will pay S$6.40 and S$25.60, and Band 4 passengers will pay S$10.40 and S$41.60 for an economy cabin and premium cabin respectively.
The levy will not apply to passengers transiting through Singapore. For flights with multiple stops, the levy will be based on the immediate next destination after departing Singapore.
The announcement of the levy amounts comes after CAAS said last month that it had set up a new entity to centrally procure sustainable aviation fuel and secure a more affordable and stable supply for Singapore and the region.
Levies collected from passengers will go into a fund used to purchase sustainable aviation fuel.
The airline will collect the levy and must display it as a distinct line item on the air ticket sold, said CAAS on Monday.
Director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Han Kok Juan on Oct 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Lim Li Ting)
LEVIES COULD BE REVISED AS SUSTAINABLE FUEL TARGET SHIFTS
CAAS had estimated last year that the levy would be around S$3, S$6 and S$16 for a passenger in economy class travelling to Bangkok, Tokyo and London, respectively.
The lower levy amounts announced on Monday reflect “the lower prevailing cost of sustainable aviation fuel compared to when the initial estimates were made”, said CAAS.
The levy amounts could be revised in future as Singapore’s sustainability fuel targets shift, said director-general of CAAS Han Kok Juan at a media conference on Monday.
Singapore aims for sustainable aviation fuel to account for 1 per cent of all jet fuel used at Changi and Seletar airports in 2026, rising to 3 to 5 per cent by 2030.
“When (the target) is 3 to 5 per cent, then the levy will have to be adjusted to achieve the 3 to 5 per cent,” said Mr Han.
“But insofar as we have set the target to 1 per cent (for 2026), the levy will be fixed regardless of the sale prices.”
He added that he expects the sustainable air fuel (SAF) levy to remain at the current level “for a few years”, before a review is done “some years down the road”.
When asked about the absolute volume of sustainable aviation fuel needed to hit the 1 per cent target, Mr Han said that the target will depend on the passenger volume for that period of time, and so an estimate cannot be provided now.
"The introduction of the SAF levy marks a major step forward in Singapore's effort to build a more sustainable and competitive air hub," he said.
"It provides the mechanism for all aviation users to do their part to contribute to sustainability at a cost which is manageable for the air hub."
Related:
LEVIES FOR CARGO SHIPMENTS, GENERAL AND BUSINESS AVIATION FLIGHTS
A levy for cargo shipments is being set on a per kg basis and varies based on the distance travelled, following the same geographical bands as for passenger flights.
For Band 1, the levy will be 1 cent per kg, for Band 2 it is 4 cents per kg, 9 cents per kg for Band 3 and 15 cents per kg for Band 4.
The aircraft operator will collect the levy and must display the levy as a distinct line item on the air cargo contract.
For general and business aviation flights, which are civil aviation flights that operate outside of commercial airline services such as corporate aircraft and private jets, the levies are broken down according to their geographical bands and the aircraft’s size.
For example, for small aircraft such as a Cessna 404 Titan, the operator has to pay between S$40 and S$390, depending on the geographical band.
For medium- to wide-body aircraft such as the A310-200 or the B767-300, the operator has to pay between S$380 and S$3,900.
For very large, long-haul wide-body planes like the A380 or B747-8, the levy will be between S$630 and S$6,500.
Training flights and those for charitable or humanitarian purposes will be exempt from the levy.
Continue reading...