Leeds Bradford Airport will host an eight-month feasibility study to explore the production and use of a new sustainable aviation fuel made from carbon dioxide and water, reports BBC News.

The Department for Transport has allocated GBP1.5 million for the study, which will assess whether Electrolysis Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) can be manufactured and used at the airport.

The study is being led by the University of Sheffield in partnership with LBA and supported by academics from the University of Leeds. SAFs are typically made from plant oils or waste, but eSAF uses electricity, water and atmospheric carbon dioxide.

LBA chief executive Vincent Hodder said the process creates a circular carbon movement, with all ingredients available locally and the fuel transported directly to aircraft.

If successful, a production facility powered by green electricity could be built at the airport to extract carbon and hydrogen elements and recombine them into eSAF.

Transport and Environment, a clean energy advocacy group, welcomed the initiative but warned that large-scale SAF production remains a challenge. UK aviation policy manager Roger Tyers said the technology is proven but not yet commercially scaled.