Starting in 2027, sustainable aviation fuel(SAF) will power all international passenger planes in South Korea as the nation seeks to lead efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation industry.

A road map the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport released on Friday mandates that jet fuel supplied to international flights departing from South Korean airports be at least 1 percent sustainable.

Starting in 2028, all international flights departing from South Korean airports must purchase and pump at least 90 percent of the jet fuel to power those flights within South Korea, with a three-year grace period for new airlines.

A ministry official said the regulation will not require an additional fueling facility since sustainable aviation fuel, which is twice as expensive but reduces aircraft emissions by up to 80 percent, can be mixed with existing jet fuel.

The ministries will operate an "SAF alliance" to support the execution of the roadmap as it looks into granting domestic airlines that exceed the required mixing ratio a better chance of winning new international routes and subsidizing airport facility fees for SAF-fueled flights.