대한항공 등 3355억 부담할 판인데…탄소배출권 확보 3.6%뿐

South Korean airlines must purchase carbon credits for their international flights, totaling 2.755 million tons in their first year, with only 0.36% secured currently. The cost of purchasing these credits from 2024 to 2028 is estimated at 3.355 trillion won. Out of the 10 airlines, Asiana Airlines incurred the highest burden at 2.26 trillion won, while the others only secured a fraction of their required credits.

CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) aims to offset excess emissions by purchasing credits from international carbon reduction projects. Currently, the domestic market for such credits is limited, and prices may rise as the deadline approaches. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is seen as a way to reduce this burden, as it can cut carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional fuels.

However, its usage in South Korea remains minimal, with only 11.1 tons used as of June. The government plans to mandate a minimum of 1% SAF mix in international flights by next year, gradually increasing to 3-5% by 2030 and 7-10% by 2035. The challenge lies in securing enough feedstock; SAF production currently uses only about 10% of the available waste oil, and producing 70,000 tons would require at least 700,000 tons of waste oil, far exceeding the 21,688,000 tons of waste oil generated domestically in 2024.