Photo: Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines renews its commitment to clean commercial operations, reiterating that SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) is one of the most important pillars for future green flights. The bad news is that the worldwide supply is still largely insufficient, which also keeps the costs high.
Earlier this year, the airline released a Sustainability Strategy that focuses on six main areas for decarbonizing. The industry has been discussing all of these areas for several years now. The most difficult one to tackle is the need for a revolutionary fleet – it will be years before airlines can completely replace existing fleets with next-generation, zero-emission aircraft.
The ones that are easier to implement have to do mostly with ground operations at airports and making aircraft operations more efficient. Last but certainly not least, the industry is focusing on clean fuel alternatives and the related supply chain.
Delta is one of the many who believe that SAF is the best answer simply because it’s the most practical. SAF works great with existing aircraft engines (it doesn’t require any retrofitting process) and with the current infrastructure (compared to hydrogen, for instance, which needs a dedicated infrastructure).
However, even after several years since SAF has been the center of attention, the lack of availability is still its number one drawback. According to Delta, the entire quantity of SAF being produced today couldn’t even fuel all the global commercial airlines for one day. Inevitably, this also makes green jet fuel at least twice and up to four times more expensive than conventional fuel. All in all, operators don’t feel encouraged to rely increasingly more on SAF for regular flights.
Many of the biggest aviation players worldwide are actively supporting various SAF-related projects. Delta is investing in SAF producers and, at the same time, advocating for policy incentives. In other words, industry partners and government officials need to work together on increasing SAF availability and affordability.
Delta’s main goal for its own operations is to reach a level of 10% SAF by 2030. The primary way to get there is by signing offtake agreements. What this means is that Delta commits to purchasing a certain quantity of SAF once the producer is ready to deliver it following specific standards.
Some of Delta’s most important offtake agreements include the one with Gevo, for 75 million gallons of SAF annually starting 2026, and the one with Shell Aviation for 10 million gallons of SAF, to be used at the Los Angeles International Airport.
With these agreements, Delta says it has reached half-way of its goal for the end of this decade. After 2030, the airline plans to drastically increase its use of SAF to 35% in just five years.
Two years ago, another major airline, United, signed what is still considered the biggest SAF purchase agreement in history. It agreed to buy 1.5 billion gallons of SAF from Adler Fuels, which would be delivered over the course of 20 years.
The ones that are easier to implement have to do mostly with ground operations at airports and making aircraft operations more efficient. Last but certainly not least, the industry is focusing on clean fuel alternatives and the related supply chain.
Delta is one of the many who believe that SAF is the best answer simply because it’s the most practical. SAF works great with existing aircraft engines (it doesn’t require any retrofitting process) and with the current infrastructure (compared to hydrogen, for instance, which needs a dedicated infrastructure).
However, even after several years since SAF has been the center of attention, the lack of availability is still its number one drawback. According to Delta, the entire quantity of SAF being produced today couldn’t even fuel all the global commercial airlines for one day. Inevitably, this also makes green jet fuel at least twice and up to four times more expensive than conventional fuel. All in all, operators don’t feel encouraged to rely increasingly more on SAF for regular flights.
Many of the biggest aviation players worldwide are actively supporting various SAF-related projects. Delta is investing in SAF producers and, at the same time, advocating for policy incentives. In other words, industry partners and government officials need to work together on increasing SAF availability and affordability.
Delta’s main goal for its own operations is to reach a level of 10% SAF by 2030. The primary way to get there is by signing offtake agreements. What this means is that Delta commits to purchasing a certain quantity of SAF once the producer is ready to deliver it following specific standards.
Some of Delta’s most important offtake agreements include the one with Gevo, for 75 million gallons of SAF annually starting 2026, and the one with Shell Aviation for 10 million gallons of SAF, to be used at the Los Angeles International Airport.
With these agreements, Delta says it has reached half-way of its goal for the end of this decade. After 2030, the airline plans to drastically increase its use of SAF to 35% in just five years.
Two years ago, another major airline, United, signed what is still considered the biggest SAF purchase agreement in history. It agreed to buy 1.5 billion gallons of SAF from Adler Fuels, which would be delivered over the course of 20 years.
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