Bringing Unleaded Aviation Fuel to Hillsboro Airport

The transition from leaded aviation fuel (commonly referred to as avgas) to lead-free fuel presents an opportunity for the general aviation industry to reduce emissions and improve air quality. It’s a transition that the Port of Portland fully supports and advocates for as a partner in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions initiative. The work is underway, but making the switch requires changes to both federal regulation and supply chain infrastructure—and those changes take time.

Unleaded Avgas Readiness and Transition Plan

The opportunity to provide feedback on the Unleaded Avgas Readiness and Transition Plan Discussion Draft is now closed. We are currently in the process of reviewing all submissions and will make updates to the plan to ensure that it is clear and useful for understanding the transition. 

Community Roundtable Series (2024)

All interested community members were invited to engage in a roundtable series that ran throughout 2024. The primary goals for the roundtable series were to:

• Facilitate open and informed discussions about the challenges, opportunities, and implications associated with the use of leaded fuel in general aviation aircraft and its impact on our communities.
• Serve as a platform to educate participants on the complexities of leaded-fuel usage in general aviation aircraft, as well as the available alternatives and their feasibility.
• Strive to identify feasible strategies, policies, and collaborations that could contribute to the phase-out of leaded aviation fuel and promote cleaner alternatives statewide.

These discussions went beyond the challenges and threats of continued use of leaded aviation fuel and focus on partnering to drive actionable change across the state.

Pilot Focus Group (2024)

The intention of this focus group was to solicit perspectives from pilots to inform the Port’s planning around transitioning to unleaded avgas.

Questions or concerns can be directed to unleadedavgas@portofportland.com.