Strategic Procurement Prioritization for Sustainable Aviation Fuel: An Integrated Pythagorean Fuzzy SWARA–RAM Decision Support Framework

Serhat Yüksel; Fatih Karaman; Serkan Eti; Hasan Dinçer; Edanur Ergün

doi:10.31181/sems41202692

Authors

Serhat Yüksel 1) School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey; 2) Department of Economics and Management, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5832-8831
Fatih Karaman School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5002-5195
Serkan Eti 1) Faculty of Applied Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey; 2) ARUCAD Research Centre, Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design, Northern Cyprus, Mersin 10, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4791-4091
Hasan Dinçer 1) School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey; 2) Department of Economics and Management, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan; 3) University College, Korea University, Republic of Korea Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8072-031X
Edanur Ergün School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2212-287X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31181/sems41202692

Keywords:

Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Supply Chain Management, Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets, Strategic Procurement

Abstract

The transition toward sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has become a strategic priority for commercial airlines seeking to reduce aviation-related emissions while maintaining secure and economically viable fuel procurement. However, procurement decisions remain challenging because airlines must simultaneously balance environmental objectives, supply security, economic feasibility, operational considerations, and evolving policy requirements under substantial uncertainty. Existing studies primarily focus on technological production pathways or policy issues, whereas systematic evaluations of alternative SAF procurement strategies from an airline procurement perspective remain limited. This study develops an integrated multi-criteria decision support framework to prioritize sustainable aviation fuel procurement strategies for commercial airlines under uncertainty. The proposed framework combines Pythagorean fuzzy sets, Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA), and the Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) method to represent uncertainty in expert judgments, determine the relative importance of evaluation criteria, and prioritize procurement alternatives. The findings indicate that lifecycle carbon reduction potential and local emission reduction are the highest-priority evaluation criteria, while partnership or investment in SAF production facilities represents the highest-ranked procurement strategy according to the participating experts, with comparative analysis using the COPRAS method confirming the consistency of the ranking results. The proposed framework provides structured decision support for strategic procurement planning by integrating environmental, economic, operational, and geopolitical considerations, offering expert-informed guidance for airline procurement managers and a foundation for future studies incorporating operational and market-based evidence.

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