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2026 Strategic Summit Agenda
Day 2: SAF Forum
09:00 - 09:10
(10min)
[Opening Keynote] Shaping the Regulatory Landscape for SAF: Opportunities for Dubai and the MENA Region
H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Lengawi
Director General
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (Reserved)
09:10 - 10:00
(50min)
[Opening Panel] Building the SAF Ecosystem in MENA: Policy, Partnerships, and Pathways Forward
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What types of partnerships are essential to build a functional SAF ecosystem in MENA?
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How can regional collaboration between airlines, producers, and regulators de-risk early-stage deployment?
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What lessons can MENA draw from early SAF alliances globally?
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How do government policies and offtake agreements shape confidence in early partnerships?
Selahattin Bilgen
CEO
iGA Istanbul Airport (Reserved)
10:00 - 10:20
(20min)
[Keynote] Reserved for Sponsor
Morning Coffee and Networking Break
10:50 - 11:10
(20min)
[Keynote] Reserved for Sponsor
11:10 - 11:50
(40min)
[Panel] Scaling SAF Production in MENA: Identifying Practical and Scalable Pathways
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How to co-process more renewable feedstock with existing refineries?
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What feedstock pathways are most promising for MENA in the mid term, and how can investment be mobilized to scale them?
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Beyond mandates, how can market-driven demand—like offtake agreements—stimulate SAF production growth?
Dr. Mikael Berthod
General Manager, Head JV Management Refining & Business Development MEA
OMV
11:50 - 12:30
(50min)
[Panel] Breaking Barriers to SAF Trading and Adoption: Building a Functional Market in MENA
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What trading mechanisms (e.g. Book & Claim, carbon credits) are most viable for SAF distribution across MENA?
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How can we overcome the mismatch between producers and end-users across borders and sectors?
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What policies and incentives are needed to accelerate adoption among airlines and cargo operators?
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How do infrastructure gaps—such as blending, storage, and certification—impact both trading and usage?
Senior Representative
Air France-KLM
Michael White
Chief Commercial Officer
Red Sea International Airport
Sven Deckers
Director Sustainability, Innovation and Partnerships
Dubai Airports
Lunch & networking break
Day 2 Afternoon: Future Fuels Infrastructure & Investment
14:00 - 14:50
(50min)
[Panel] Achieving Deployment Targets for Low Carbon Fuels Infrastructure Innovations in Storage, Transport, and Distribution
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How can MENA SAF, hydrogen exporters align infrastructure, fuel conversion, and market strategy to stay competitive in global hydrogen trade?
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How do we build flexible, resilient storage and distribution systems for a diverse SAF, hydrogen market?
14:50 - 15:10
(20min)
[Keynote] Reserved for Sponsor
15:10 - 16:00
(50min)
[Panel] Practical Financing Strategies for Low Carbon Fuel Projects in the Middle East: Bridging Early-Stage Risk and Long-Term Growth
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What financing models and policy mechanisms are proving most effective in today’s SAF, H2 market?
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What are the mian finance concerns in MENA: Long construction timelines, unclear offtake signals, high CapEx, and evolving CI methodology?
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How to secure long term saf off-take?
16:00 - 16:10
10 mins