Supply in Europe Secured Until 2032

This spring we still asked the question, "Is 100LL now banned, or not?" The answer at the time was that leaded aviation fuel with the additive tetraethyl lead (TEL) may actually only be produced in Europe until May 1, 2025, according to EU Regulation 1272/2008 from April 2022, but that production is currently neither banned nor approved. The distribution and use of 100LL was not in question, only the production of the fuel. Due to delays in decision-making within the EU bureaucracy, the three European manufacturers are legally allowed to produce and distribute TEL-containing avgas until further notice.



The supply of European General Aviation with AVGAS 100LL seems secured until 2032

The legal situation has now further developed, and in favor of General Aviation: Shell's application to continue importing TEL and producing Avgas 100LL, was approved by the EU's REACH Committee with 26 votes in favor, with only one abstention and no votes against, initially until April 2032. REACH stands for "European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals," and the committee is part of the European Commission .

This now provides a robust legal basis for Shell fuel to ensure the continued supply of fuel to all aircraft that rely on high-octane Avgas with TEL. Click here for the Shell approval details - EU Comitology Register.

Two More Fuel Suppliers Await Final Approval

The two other applicants, WARTER Fuels and TRAFIGURA (Puma Energy), are still in the final phase of the approval process. Their proposals were also presented to the REACH Committee on June 26th with the recommendation of 2032, and will now be subject to a written voting procedure, with a deadline of 25th August, just like Shell's proposal.Click here for the Trafigura proposal. And here for the Warter proposal. It is not to be expected that these two very similarly structured proposals will be voted on differently than Shell's and there is no restriction on their continued production in the interim.

Behind the Scenes: A United GA Effort

The applicants from the petroleum industry were supported by an intense political joint effort by the associations Europe Air Sports, ERAC, GAMA, and IAOPA-Europe. Over several years, the associations submitted numerous closely coordinated statements to the relevant bodies of the European administration to facilitate the transition from leaded to unleaded avgas with acceptable transition periods. Particular emphasis was placed on the fact that a hasty European solo effort to phase out leaded aviation fuel would be detrimental to the EU’s GA and economy , that the environmental impacts caused by the small amounts of lead in avgas should not lead to an increase in air quality test results, and that the European approach should be coordinated with the introduction of unleaded Avgas 100 in the USA.

All associations have also refrained from reporting to their members in order to avoid burdening the process with unnecessary publicity and ultimately jeopardizing it through unwanted interventions.

Now we can only hope that the world's only remaining TEL manufacturer in the United Kingdom will continue to supply and that the market launch of unleaded avgas in the USA will soon make the necessary progress to allow a smooth world wide transition. This transition worked well in the automotive industry as early as the 1980s, and 40 years later, it should also work well in General Aviation.

source: [IAOPA|https://iaopa.aopa.org/]