Maria Whittaker, Abra Group: The quest for SAF in Latin America

March 25
41 mins

Episode Description

In this episode of The SAF Podcast, host Oscar is joined by Maria Whittaker, Corporate Responsibility Officer at Abra Group — the airline group behind Avianca and GOL, serving nearly 70 million passengers across Latin America.

Maria unpacks the unique challenges and opportunities of scaling sustainable aviation fuel in a region where aviation provides essential connectivity, fuel costs represent up to 40% of operational expenses, and SAF production is still in its earliest stages.

We cover:

🌎 Why Latin America is at a different stage of SAF development than Europe or the US

📋 Brazil's incoming SAF mandate (starting at 1% in 2027, rising to 10% by 2037) 

🤝 Abra's groundbreaking Article 6 collaboration with Sumitomo Corporation to create a book-and-claim SAF export mechanism between Brazil and Japan

💰 The capital and off-take challenges facing SAF producers in the region 

✈️ How Avianca was ranked #1 globally for reducing emissions intensity while growing 

🔮 Maria's vision for the Latin American SAF market by 2030

Whether you're an investor, policymaker, airline professional or SAF producer, this episode offers a compelling window into one of the most dynamic and underexplored SAF markets in the world.

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