THE RESULTS OF THE XV EURASIAN INTERNATIONAL FORUM “AVIATION FUEL-2026” HAVE BEEN SUMMARIZED
« BackOn January 29-30, 2026, Moscow hosted the anniversary XV Eurasian International Forum “Aviation Fuel-2026” — the main annual industry event in the field of aviation fuel supply. The experts and guests of the event focused on the most pressing questions of the industry, such as:
- Issues of legal regulation and standardization of aviation fuel.
- Issues of international standards, interstate cooperation within the framework of the EAEU and BRICS, as well as specific aspects of interaction within sectoral international organizations.
- The application of new technologies, alternative fuels, automation, digitalization, and practical cases of AI implementation in aviation fuel supply.
- Current issues of personnel training for the industry.
In the welcoming address to the forum participants, Irina Daineko, First Deputy General Director of Gazpromneft-Aero and representative of the strategic sponsor of the event, emphasized that over the years the event has evolved not only as a permanent venue for the exchange of ideas among industry participants, but also as a stable and recognized platform for inter-sectoral and interstate interaction aimed at identifying problems and developing mechanisms for their resolution.
The first session of the forum was opened by Anton Koren, CEO of the Transport Strategy Center (TSC):
“Today we are gathered in the period of profound changes, when the industry is facing global challenges: geopolitical confrontations, tightening environmental requirements and the transition to sustainable fuels, total digitalization of processes and the advent of the artificial intelligence era, the need to strengthen technological sovereignty.
At the same time, flight safety and supply reliability remain the industry’s absolute priorities”.
The focus of the event’s agenda was placed on international cooperation and innovation in the context of ongoing import substitution in the industry.
Dmitry Tokmachev, representative of the Airport Operations Department of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation), noted personnel training quality as a critical aspect for the aviation fuel supply industry.
This topic was covered in his subsequent report as well as the session where representatives from educational institutions such as the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation (speaker — Head of the Department of Aviation Fuel Supply and Aircraft Repair, Vasily Samoylenko) and the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Institute (speaker — Associate Professor of Aviation Fuel Supply Department, Alexey Kalyakin) and others.
The report by Victor Kovalenko, Head of Standardization, Metrology and Technical Regulation Department, Deputy Chairman of TC 031 “Petroleum Fuels and Lubricants”, Chairman of PC 02 “Aviation Fuel and Its Components”, Federal State Budgetary Organization “Russian Energy Agency” (REA) by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, was dedicated to issues of interdepartmental cooperation in the development and approval of standards, as well as current problems of international standardization. During the ensuing discussion, he emphasized that despite certain difficulties, the standardization process continues constantly, in particular, approximately 10 new regulatory documents are adopted annually on average. “It should not be forgotten that regulation must be justified and should not harm the economic activities of market participants,” he noted.
Pipeline supply of aviation fuel to airports and airfields is the future of fuel logistics, according to Ildar Gabdrashitov, representative of the Department of Resource Support, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant Colonel. He spoke about how pipeline supply of aviation fuel is organized in the USA, NATO countries, and the PRC, emphasizing that in the face of security challenges to the Russian Federation, the development of aviation fuel pipeline systems is necessary, as our country lags behind leading world powers in terms of aviation fuel pipeline length. “It is necessary to create a development concept in which federal executive authorities and all relevant departments should participate. Pipeline integration is not just a technical improvement, it is a strategic necessity that will strengthen the stability of supplies for both civil and military purposes,” he noted.
Arthur Mirzoyan, representative of Russia in the ICAO CAEP, Deputy Chairman of the Environmental Committee of the SAP of Russia, Head of the Department Sector, Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM), made a presentation titled “Certification of sustainability for production of alternative aviation fuels with reduced carbon footprint LCAF and SAF in the ICAO CORSIA system”. According to ICAO, the use of alternative fuels makes the greatest contribution (up to 65%) to the decarbonization of civil aviation, the report says. Arthur Mirzoyan provided a detailed overview of the sustainability certification processes for CEF production, as well as the assessment of the carbon footprint of CORSIA LCAF/SAF according to the ICAO methodology. He emphasized that despite some weakening of the information background regarding carbon footprint issues recently, improving the environmental friendliness of aviation fuel remains extremely important.
The topic of aviation fuel quality was taken up by Alexey Privalenko, Director of the Scientific Center for Airport Operations and Aviation Fuel Supply (NC-28), The State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation (GosNII GA). In his presentation, he shared the results of the expert assessment of the quality and purity levels of fuel in the civil aviation fuel supply system, conducted by NC-28 in 2024–2025. He provided a detailed account of 16 types of non-compliance with standards during the assessment of quality and purity of aviation fuel in the aviation fuel supply systems of aviafuels and lubricants operators, their prevalence, and methods for their elimination. Alexey Privalenko also stated that despite the fact that, according to FAP-48, operator certification is provided as a one-time procedure, maintaining the quality and purity of aviation fuel in aviafuels and lubricants operator systems logically requires regular monitoring by an independent organization. He cited Gazpromneft-Aero as a positive example, which will carry out regular monitoring of aviation fuel quality at 26 airports starting from 2026.
The forum hosted a panel discussion with the participation of key representatives of fuel servicing companies, airports and operators. The participants discussed in detail the most pressing issues that require consolidated actions by the industry and regulators to ensure dynamic development and meet modern challenges.
In the context of the global transition to a low-carbon economy and the tightening of international standards, personnel, logistics, and technological sovereignty are becoming the foundation for development.
Yury Minyaylo, CEO of Aerofuels, focused attention on three practical issues. He noted personnel shortages and logistics disruptions:
“First of all, it is necessary to increase the number of specialists graduated from technical secondary schools and higher educational institutions. Currently, the personnel shortage is being filled by military personnel who, after serving in the Ministry of Defense, move to work in civilian fuel servicing companies.
The delivery time for exchange-traded purchases ranges from one to two months. This creates very serious problems, especially for fuel supply in regions and airports with complex logistics, such as, for example, Yakutsk airport.”
The speaker highlighted the strategic task separately: “Accelerating the import substitution of components and their certification according to international standards. Because during technical audits by foreign airlines, we receive remarks that our filter elements, filter element housings, and hoses are not certified according to international standards.”
The formation of a unified, modern, and legally flawless regulatory framework is a global imperative for ensuring safety, transparency, and investment attractiveness of the industry.
Yury Matskevich, head of the technical operations department at Lukoil-Aero, noted the existing regulatory vacuum:
“All the speeches today talk about the vast diversity of documents. Individual fuel servicing complexes operate according to internal documents that they developed and approved in accordance with previously existing documents. To date, there is no certain document that clearly and unambiguously regulates individual procedures, types of work, operations, including issues of organizing quality control… that’s what is missing. In other words, we need some kind of document that we can unambiguously rely on.”
The evolution of regulatory framework in accordance with new business models and technological solutions is a key trend for ensuring flexibility and competitiveness of the industry.
Irina Daineko, First Deputy General Director, Deputy General Director for Production at Gazpromneft-Aero, emphasized the need to modernize outdated norms:
“In 2025, we conducted certification of our enterprises, and we came to the conclusion that FAP-48 is still aimed at the classical scheme of aviation fuel supply. But life has moved forward so much now that we have quite a few different variants of aviation fuel supply schemes that are no worse, do not affect flight safety in any way, but somehow do not fit into the certification scheme defined by FAP-48. A modern document should appear that will already talk about various aviation fuel supply schemes.”
Modernization of physically and morally outdated infrastructure using flexible financing schemes, including PPP, is a global practice for improving the efficiency and reliability of the airport complex.
Boris Girshik, CEO of Novaport-Fuel, focused on the state of assets:
“We are facing the fact that many airports in the Russian Federation have outdated fuel servicing complexes. Some enterprises are 50-70 years old, their reservoir parks are worn out, and pipelines are deteriorated. Therefore, we would like to accelerate the process of updating fuel servicing complexes and stimulate investments in them through public-private partnerships.”
Dmitry Tokmachev, the representative of the Airport Operations Department of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation), added a pragmatic approach to this comment: “Most airports do not need large fueling complexes in the traditional sense, with a large receiving group and a railway overpass. It is possible to use some kind of portable storage transport tanks. If there is an oil depot nearby with large storage volumes, why build another large tank farm for yourself?”
Ensuring end-to-end quality control and clear responsibility throughout the entire fuel journey from the plant to the aircraft wing is a comprehensive task that meets the highest international flight safety standards.
Anton Sinilnikov, Director of Ground Infrastructure and ATO at UTair — Helicopter Services, provided detailed examples of supply chain problems: “Any transport company today, having purchased a car, can provide aviation fuel transportation services. Whether this transport is prepared or not — no one bears any responsibility for delivering fuel specifically from the manufacturer’s plant to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.” He also raised certification issues: “Who can tell us whether this equipment meets the standards and whether it can be used in aviation? If something happens, who will be held accountable? Do we have the right, having received documents from the laboratory, to use it for issuing fuel to the aircraft wing? It’s a big question. This is a matter of state regulation.”
The new training manual titled “Aviation fuel and lubricants Quality Management System” was presented at the forum. The author of the textbook, Oleg Maltsev, noted that the Russian Federation lacks a regulatory framework for designing specialized facilities for aviation fuel and lubricants. This shifts the issues of ensuring fuel purity and quality from the design logic to the sphere of subsequent operation. This reduces the ability to manage quality at the design stage.
Foreign airlines showed great interest in reports on new exchange instruments, settlement exchange indices, and alternatives to Platts. Georgy Yukhanov, Head of the Department for the Development of Exchange trading in Petroleum Products at the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, gave a detailed presentation on the structure of petroleum products production and consumption in Russia. He noted the stable share of jet fuel (about 4.5%) and provided an overview of the main aviation fuel logistics channels. Georgy Yukhanov shared updates on the development of international petroleum products trade within the EAEU and BRICS frameworks.
The report also touched upon the topic of the Jet Fuel Exchange Index, which was continued in his speech by Dmitry Korpachev, Head of Overseas Sales Department at Gazpromneft-Aero. He spoke about four main types of aviation fuel pricing in the EAEU and African countries, noting Russia’s uniqueness as a country where all four are used. He noted that the total market volume of these countries amounts to nearly 300 billion US dollars. In conclusion, Dmitry Korpachev noted the advantages for Russian businesses of using jet fuel quotes from the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange compared to the global standard — quotes from the American agency Platts (S&P Global Energy). Experts from among the delegates confirmed that the Russian index better corresponds to the actual kerosene cost values in the Russian Federation, as well as the stable and more predictable behavior of Russian exchange indices.
Executive Director of the “Center” Representative Office at Gazpromneft-Aero, Evgeny Panteleyev shared the experience of organizing seamless cooperation between the fuel supplier, airline, and airport. He noted that the efficient organization of the aircraft refueling process is critical for the overall punctuality of flight departures.
At the end of the first day, a humanoid robot took the stage at the forum, demonstrating that Industry 5.0 is already the reality. The robot accompanied the speaker’s report on the future of aviation fuel supply.
The presentation by Alexander Pervushin, Development Director of TEK Engineering, was dedicated to the informatization and robotization of the industry. According to him, there is a rapid transition to Industry 5.0, which is characterized by collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence combined with robots. According to him, by 2030 there will be 500 million anthropomorphic robots in the world, and by 2040 — more than 10 billion. Anthropomorphic robots are a thing of the future, while automation and digitalization of aviation fuel supply infrastructure are being actively implemented right now. Alexander Pervushin shared cases of modern digital modeling in the field of fuel servicing complexes, fuel filtration units, and pumping stations — from design to construction and operation.
The series of presentations on their products and developments were delivered by equipment manufacturers from TEK Engineering, Prompribor, Zavod Toplivnogo Oborudovania (Fuel Equipment Factory), and TechPromArma companies.
On the second day of the event, the focus was on discussing alternative aviation fuels, digital technologies, and personnel issues in the industry.
The global trend towards an accelerated transition to “green” aviation, driven by regulators (CORSIA, ReFuelEU) and public demands, creates unprecedented technological and market challenges for the industry.
Alexey Okhapkin, Director of the Department for Forecasting and Strategic Planning of Scientific and Technological Development at the National research center “Institute named after N.E.Zhukovsky”, emphasized the vulnerability of Russian airlines in the new conditions: “Starting from 2027, CORSIA starts operating. Russian airlines will have to compensate for approximately 3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This can be done through the use of SAF or by purchasing carbon units. But SAF is not currently produced in Russia… Therefore, Russian airlines find themselves in a very vulnerable position when prices will be dictated to them from abroad under conditions of acute shortage.”
Technological breakthrough and industrial implementation. The Eurasian trend lies in the aspiration of countries to create their own, technologically independent SAF production facilities in order to not only fulfill international obligations but also to occupy a niche in the emerging global eco-fuel market.
Anatoly Oschenko, representative of the 25th State Research Institute of Chemmotology of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, pointed out Russia’s long-term raw material advantage: “Russia possesses one-fifth of the world’s timber reserves. The practical use of this natural resource inevitably generates waste that can be transformed into hydrocarbons similar in composition to those of petroleum kerosene. The development of technology for hydrogenation of methyl esters and fatty acids is not a priority for Russia, as the available resources of vegetable oils are incomparable to the waste generated from forest resource exploitation.”
Regulatory framework and standardization: the foundation of safety and legitimacy. The international trend shows that without a standardization and certification system harmonized with global norms, no national SAF product will be able to be recognized in the global market or used to fulfill CORSIA obligations.
Viktor Kovalenko, Head of Standardization, Metrology and Technical Regulation Department, Deputy Chairman of TC 031 “Petroleum Fuels and Lubricants”, Chairman of PC 02 “Aviation Fuel and Its Components”, Federal State Budgetary Organization “Russian Energy Agency” (REA) by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, detailed the roadmap for regulatory support: “The main task is to revise GOST 10227–86. Between 2025 and 2026, it is planned to create and update three standards, as well as develop one preliminary national standard for the SAF component. We are moving towards creating a preliminary national standard for testing purposes, but we must understand that this is only the first step towards a full-fledged standard that will ensure safe use.”
Ruslan Nigmatullin, representative of the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM), substantiated the role of low-carbon aviation fuel (LCAF): “LCAF will serve as a complementary fuel while SAF is being established. It is a fuel that can be used as a compensation tool within the CORSIA framework. Its life cycle is different, and the ICAO methodology, according to its assessment, takes into account emission reductions at every stage — from oil extraction to transportation of the finished fuel.”
Strategic vision and transition economics. The global economic trend demonstrates that SAF is not only an environmental burden but also an emerging market with a projected volume of hundreds of billions of dollars. Missing out means losing future competitive position.
Andrey Komendant, Head of the Department of Sustainable Development, Analytical Center for Fuel and Energy Complex (ACTEC), presented specific calculations: “According to our estimates, by 2035, the SAF market in Russia may reach from 40 to 120 billion rubles. If we don't take active steps, we may just lose this market. The most likely scenario is that our companies will have to spend between 60 and 250 billion rubles in accumulated total by 2035 to compensate for emissions through SAF and carbon units.”
The forum was attended by leading international and Russian experts, representatives of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Federal Air Transport Agency, the Federal Service for Supervision of Transport, representatives of all Russian and Eurasian vertically integrated oil companies (VIOCs), airports, leading Russian and international research institutes, refineries, airlines, innovative SAF manufacturers, including foreign ones, refueling complexes of international and regional airports, heads of aviation fuel trading companies, analytical companies, commodity exchanges, companies suppliers of machinery and equipment, and the media.
The plenary session and 6 thematic sessions, as well as several panel discussions, were held during 2 days at the “Aviation Fuel-2026” forum.
The forum also featured the Award Ceremony of the Eurasian Aviation Fuel Supply Award.
The Eurasian Award was established to honor industry participants in the region who have demonstrated the best results in public, scientific, production, commercial activities, and innovative developments.
The 2026 laureates included Gazpromneft, Gazpromneft-Aero, LUKOIL-Aero, Aerofuels, GosNII GA, and National University of Oil and Gas “Gubkin University”, as well as the information publication FUELS Digest.
The exhibition was held featuring innovative and practical solutions and equipment for aviation fuel supply enterprises, which had the opportunity to present their products to major consumers and attract investors.
The organizer of the XV Eurasian International Forum “Aviation Fuel-2026”: The Center for Strategic
Development in Civil Aviation (AVIACENTER).
Strategic partner of the forum: Gazpromneft-Aero.
Partner of the forum: The Transport Strategy Center (TSC).
The general information partner of the forum: the official publication of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, newspaper “Transport of Russia”.
The next XVI Eurasian International Forum “Aviation Fuel-2027” will be held on January 28-29, 2027. It is possible to register on the most favorable terms right now on the website www.aviacenter.events.